Darkness Falls
by NatureGirl52180
Summary: The task of reconstructing a battered O.Z. is laid before DG and her family while a new threat rises.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, but if someone wants to hand Cain over, I'm not going to say "no". Strictly for fun, there is no profit. And I don't have any money._

* * *

He was waiting. 

Dim light shone through the portcullis-style door of his cell, but it didn't matter. He stared unseeing into the gloom as he sat with his back to the wall, elbows on his knees, feeling neither the cold nor the damp of his prison. Just waiting.

He had known. The wench would turn, the hag would fail. He had voiced this opinion, but the Master had not listened. "Let it run its course." He had said. "There are alternatives should she fail."

And failed she had. Given his present state, however, a feeling of vindication was not forthcoming.

Only anger.

And hatred.

He stared, unmoving as the heat surged through him again. The boy would pay. Oh, yes, he would pay for his trickery. He had spilled his guts to the mere wisp of a boy. Perhaps young Jeb Cain thought himself clever, preying upon the fears of his victim, using the threat of torture to glean the information he had wanted from him.

Spoons? He'd dig the boy's heart from his chest with those spoons and revel in every glorious moment as the light of life left those eyes.

His father could watch. He began to rock gently on his haunches as he thought of Wyatt Cain. The man had refused to die. His time in the suit had made him stronger and harder. It had not broken him as it had done so many others. Vengeful, yes, but not broken. A bullet had not stopped him. He had bested an entire squad of Long Coats.

And then Wyatt Cain had locked him in the suit. He had called it fateful justice. If they survived the raid on Azkadellia's castle, they would return for him. If not, then he would suffer the fate that he himself had sentenced so many others to.

Return he did. He rocked faster, his breathing coming in short, shallow, angry breaths. That had been the worst. After only a week in the metal prison, he had found himself cowered against the back, already half-mad from the sensory deprivation. The Tin Man had opened the door and looked down at him. . .

with pity.

He would never forget that. The damnable pity, as though he was looking at a lesser creature. There was no hate or malice. Cain had simply pulled him from the suit and together, he and his bastard son had brought him back to Central City.

And locked him in here. The ultimate insult, to lock a man away in a place where he had once walked the halls a free man, looking through the doors at those he had incarcerated. The cold blue eyes finally shifted to examine his cell.

Locking him away as though he were nothing more than a common criminal. A lackey to her highness, the Sorceress.

Soon, they would know of their mistake, he knew. It was just a matter of time. He stopped rocking and became still once again.

He sat awhile longer, not thinking, not moving. Patience. Patience would be rewarded. Then he would have his revenge. Slow, deep, painful revenge. It would be sweet and extracted carefully.

The cell grew colder and for the first time, he noticed the temperature of his surroundings. He did not move as he watched the water condense on the stone walls and freeze. First, there were only droplets, and then within minutes, a solid sheet of ice had formed, covering the rock. At last he stood and covered his face, just as the wall was blown away.

The free air blew into the dim cell as he lowered his arm. It was freezing and he felt it empower him. He drew strength as he moved forward to the opening. The drop was nearly a thousand feet straight down.

Slowly, he raised his cold eyes to the familiar figure floating before him, the face timeless and frozen. He reached out a hand.

At last, Zero grinned. His true master had come for him at last.

* * *

With a sigh, DG sat up and loosed her frustration on her poor, unsuspecting pillow. Beating it soundly in the center, she fluffed it a bit before flopping back down on it. For what felt like the hundredth time that night, she closed her eyes and ordered her mind and body to relax. She took a deep breath and tried to settle in. 

Within seconds, she had thrown herself from the deep, warm bed and began to pace the marble floor beside it. She wasn't getting to sleep tonight. Something was out of place and she just couldn't seem to put a finger on it.

She had gotten used to sleepless nights for the first couple of weeks after the fall of the Witch. Images of lost family and friends in danger wove in and out of her dreams in an unending horrific parade. More than once, DG had sat bolt upright in bed, sweating and trying to gain control of her wildly beating heart. But lately, the nightmares had been fewer and further between as she had settled into her new life as Princess DG of the O.Z..

But at least, in the beginning, she had been able to get some sleep. _Not like tonight_, she thought as she stopped pacing and stared at the vaulted ceiling. Tonight, she wasn't even close to dreamland. She was wide awake as if something in the back of her mind refused to let her fall into an unconscious state.

DG picked up her robe from the footboard of her bed and pulled it over her pajamas before crossing the expanse of her chambers. It was a long shot, but perhaps a walk through the halls of Finaqua would settle her down some. Quietly opening the door, she slipped into the moonlit hallways.

She moved slowly, taking in the ornate carvings on the walls of the palace, still wondering at the sudden changes in her life. A bare month ago, she had been waiting tables at small diner in Kansas. Boy, if Carter could see her now. A princess, living in the lap of luxury, gifted with magical ability. It was a switch, to say the least.

And not at all what she expected. Disney sure never portrayed the whole princess-thing like this. Impossibly beautiful, kind-hearted souls waited for their Prince Charming to ride in on white horses to take out the bad guys. _Didn't see Cinderella being chased by deranged monkey-bats, did ya? _

And then, the handsome prince whisked the princess away to a beautiful castle on the hill, or in the clouds, or some unbelievably stunning locale. . . okay, so nothing she had ever seen in the movies could compare with the Mountain Palace or Finaqua. At least she had that.

But, why was it they never showed the aftermath in which the beautiful princess and her family were now responsible for the well-being of thousands of subjects? Her family had escaped Central City as soon as possible for the calm, healing waters of their summer retreat, but the frequency of Queen Orianah and Ahamo's visits back to the Ozian capitol was increasing. They had just returned again this afternoon and DG's heart had fallen when she saw her beautiful mother careworn and aggravated, her lovely fine features hung with the heavy burden of reconstructing a troubled land.

And to top it all off, ugly step sisters remained ugly step sisters that deserved everything they got in the end. They never became repentant friends that the princess had to watch slowly spiral into depression.

Azkadellia was physically fine, but her mind was a different story. There were so many memories from her possession that would simply not come. The Witch had used her as a front, forcing back Azkadeellia's own personality and will when the girl had rebelled against the terrible deeds she was being made to carry out. It was only in the later years that the Witch had allowed any sort of control when she believed that she was managing to bend Azkadellia to her own will.

All the while, the Witch concocted and carried out her own schemes, taking over the Princess's's mind completely when she had planned something even a possessed Azkadellia would have found repugnant. There were some attacks that the elder princess had no recollection of whatsoever.

It made it hard when the damage reports had started to come in. The shock was doubly hard for Azkadellia. Not only was the devastation enough to turn her stomach, but the sickening realization that her magic was responsible always made it worse. Mother and Father tried, but they couldn't shield their oldest daughter from everything. Cities had been burned, people killed, lives destroyed. DG had managed to get Azkadellia to talk a bit about what she was feeling, but more often then not, she would be drawn to her sister's distress just to find her sitting with puffy, red-rimmed eyes.

_Wonder why I can't sleep. _DG thought sarcastically as she rounded the corner and entered the Great Hall.

Ahead was the main balcony that looked over the lake and a familiar form stood there. He was still fully clothed, gun on his hip and, leaning on the rail, looking out over the water. Quite possibly, this was another source of her insomnia.

The changes in Wyatt Cain had been subtle, but DG and her friends, Glitch and Raw, were close enough to notice them. The reinstated Tin Man had been a rock during their journey, looking out for all of them. After the Witch fell, he had thrown himself into reconstruction efforts and had been instrumental in beginning a training program for new Tin Man recruits. His input had been vital in setting up an interim police force comprised mainly of resistance fighters that had begun to clean up the delinquent chaos in Central City.

He had initially refused the post of Head of Security for the Royal Family. He had told DG that he didn't want to be trapped in a cushy job just because he had friends in high places. That had been before the first death threat against Azkadellia. Then, he had begrudgingly offered his services, more out of a sense of loyalty to DG rather than to protect her sister, but DG was still grateful.

If DG were going to pinpoint an exact time that he became more moody (which she really wouldn't have thought possible) she would have to say it was just after he had returned from a visit with his son, Jeb. Cain had returned a day early, stormed through Finaqua, ignored Glitch's surprised greeting and rounded on some poor unsuspecting guard in the East Wing.

Raw was particularly sensitive to the Tin Man's foul mood. The Viewer's large eyes would follow Cain when the man's back was turned, a look of concern and sympathy on his face. DG began to notice that her friend was even more edgy than usual, pacing from one window to the other as though he expected an attack any moment. More than once, she and Glitch had exchanged a worried glance at dinner when Cain had not shown up.

Steeling herself just a bit, she began to move towards him. She wasn't surprised when, without turning, he greeted her. "Hey there, Princess."

She smiled. Always from him, it was acceptable. "Hi, Mr. Cain."

DG came forward and stood beside him, leaning on the railing and putting her head in her hand. She noticed the glass he held, but decided not to comment. "You okay?"

He swirled the amber liquor, not taking his eyes from it. "I'm supposed to ask you that."

"Friends ask each other that."

"What's got you out of bed? Dreaming again?" Cain had avoided the question neatly and it didn't escape her notice.

She let that go, too. There was a certain art to discussing anything with Cain. You had to feel him out and either take him straight on or dance with him a little bit to get what you wanted from him. She decided to dance. "I haven't been to sleep at all."

Cain finally looked at her, concern in his steel-gray eyes. "What's the matter?"

"You want the whole list or just the top ten?"

He smiled a bit. "I know. It's not easy."

DG sighed and decided to pour her heart out, just a bit. Cain always seemed to understand, odd as that was. "Mother looked so tired today. I think it was the conference with the Black Mountain Clan leaders."

Cain nodded. "Probably. They lost a lot. They feel someone should pay."

The Black Mountains and the plains surrounding them, from what DG understood, had been fertile farming and grazing lands before the Witch began her reign. Now, they were reduced to wastelands after the violent strip mining to gain the rare, precious metal known as Moritanium required for the Sun Seater. "It wasn't Az's fault."

"I know that." Cain stood up and tossed back the last of the whiskey. "But when so many people are hurt, it's natural to feel like someone needs to pay. Possession is not an excuse a farmer is going to understand when he's looking at a scorched corn field or starving cattle."

It was something her friends wrestled with. All of them had lost something during the siege and try as they might, it was nearly impossible not to feel resentment towards DG's sister. It was a deep-seated hatred that spanned fifteen annuals. Cain put forth more effort to be kind to her than the others, something she admired him for, considering it was his wife that had been taken from him.

"I wish everyone could know her like she was. Or like she is now." DG watched the reeds on the shore blow in the soft, night wind. "Of course, Glitch did know her and does know what happened. He still can't stand to be in the same room with her."

"I don't think he can help it, kiddo. It's a flight or fight response."

He was probably right. Ambrose "Glitch" Grant was quite possibly the most kind and sweet person she had ever met. He would never hurt anyone intentionally, but whenever he reported to the queen and Azkadellia was in the room, he began to sweat and talk too fast. When he had finished, he would all but run from the room. The lengths he went to avoid her were elaborate and did not go unnoticed by either of the princesses. "It makes her feel terrible."

Cain gave her look, but she added. "I know how he feels, though." Before he could take up Glitch's case, "Maybe I'll try talking to him again when we go riding tomorrow."

"Riding? Don't you have lessons with Tutor tomorrow?"

"Yes." She said in a disdainful way that made him chuckle. "Thank you for the reminder."

Something else to worry about. Magic was not coming as easily as DG had hoped it would. "Letting the light flow" was not as natural as it sounded. There always seemed to be a barrier that she couldn't clear, a fine-tipped control that she lacked. In all honesty, she was fairly certain Tutor was as frustrated with her as she was with herself.

"Don't worry. You'll get it."

"Wish I had your confidence." DG grumped. "Maybe I'll put off the ride for a couple of days and really work with Tutor. Maybe Saturday." She grinned suddenly. "Glitch and I will drag you along. It'll do you some good to take a day off."

Cain was looking out over the lake again, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not gonna be here, kid."

Her face fell as she felt her stomach drop. It wasn't like this was a surprise. She had just been dreading it. "What?"

Cain studied the water. "I've been reassigned."

"You mean you asked Mother for a reassignment."

"I told you I wasn't staying long." Cain rolled his empty glass between his palms, "The Security Detail is as good as it's gonna get. You don't need me anymore."

DG took a breath and reminded herself that arguing with him was going to be counterproductive. "Where are you going?"

"Home." It was said quietly, with reverence.

That didn't make any sense. With all those bad memories there? "You mean back to the cabin?"

"No, home. The Eastern Territories. It's where -" He paused and backpedaled. "It's where I was raised and stationed just after I left the Academy."

"What are you going to do there?"

"Your mother wants to start ferreting out whatever is left of the Witch's Long Coats. Most have them have fled to the north and east. They're starting to cause trouble."

"I know." That report hadn't escaped DG's ears either. Lacking proper leadership, many of the Long Coats had turned to sheer pillaging and mayhem. Town burnings and random abductions were particularly popular. The Eastern Territories could use someone like Wyatt Cain. Obviously, that's where he wanted to be.

She sighed heavily and resigned herself. "Good luck, Mr. Cain."

DG would have laughed if she wasn't so depressed, his head spun around so fast. "I was sure I'd get a little more of a fight."

"You're not happy. If this is something you need to do, I understand." DG felt tears behind her eyes, but checked them. "If you ever want to come back, even just to visit, our door is always open."

"I appreciate that, kiddo."

"Have you told Jeb yet?"

DG wondered if she had made a mistake. Cain's back stiffened and once more she had to question what was going on between the Tin Man and his son. "Not yet."

At his young age, Jeb had won a position as a commander in the Royal Army for his role in the rebellion against the Witch and her minions. He was now stationed near Central City as part of the reconstruction effort and Cain's reassignment would even more distance between him and the son he barely knew.

DG was just wondering if she should mention this fact when the night went a little darker. Cain noticed the odd look on her face. "What's up?"

Holding up a hand to quiet him, DG focused on the vision. Fear and apprehension were building in her chest as she traveled in her mind's eye down the corridor she had just physically walked. She was back in the hall that led to the chambers where the Royal Family and their friends slept. Past her own door on the right and her parents on the left. She was now looking at Azkadellia's door. It opened. Az was asleep on her side, the soft wind stirring the sheer curtains that hung from the bed. They pushed away as the princess rolled to her back. A knife blade flashed in the dark, a scream. . .

DG was running before the pain that had seared through her chest had eased. Skittering around the corner, she grabbed the wall to bring herself back to balance before tearing back up the stairs that led back to the third floor. She could feel Cain behind her, keeping pace but letting her lead him. It felt like it took an eternity to get to Az's door, but finally she grabbed the handle and fell against it before Cain could stop her. There was a man standing over her sister, knife raised.

"Hey!" She reacted on instinct and threw out a hand before Cain could get to his revolver. There was a great crack and burst of blue light that knocked the weapon from the assailant and tossed him backwards. But that was it. The flash of magical control vanished.

But the man was thrown back against the wall by Azkadellia's wardrobe, pinned there by an invisible force. Awakened by DG's scream, Azkadellia had taken over instantly. She was standing beside her bed, hand in front of her, keeping her assailant immobilized. Cain had drawn his gun and she knew as well as DG that the Tin Man would use deadly force to protect his charges.

"Have you got him, Princess?" Cain asked as he crossed the room towards Azkadellia, gun still trained on the intruder.

She nodded, wide brown eyes never leaving the man she held.

Cain stooped to pick up the knife as DG went to stand beside her sister, feeling the adrenaline ebb from her bloodstream.

"I'm all right, Deej." Azkadellia answered the unspoken question.

"What is going on?" Ahamo was in the door now, concern etched on his handsome features. He looked from where his daughters stood to the man Azkadellia had pinned. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Father." The pair answered together.

Orianah was behind him and looking at the man as well until she caught sight of Cain holding the knife. "By the gods."

DG looked to the man again. He was dressed in a uniform. The white uniform worn by Fiaqua's kitchen staff. "Marcus?"

The man was around Cain's age, though he appeared much older. DJ knew him. He was a pleasant enough gentleman that often snuck her tart or some other treat from the kitchens. He had always seemed so kindly.

A sob escaped his throat and tears began to run down his beleaguered face. Azkadellia slowly released her hold and the man fell to his knees and began to weep, hunched over.

The disbelief still clung to DG's thought. "Marcus? What-? Why would you do such a thing?"

His breath hitched a few times before he raised his head, looking straight at Azkadellia. "My wife. My daughters. Why?"

Understanding came to Azkadellia's features. He wanted vengeance. DG's heart broke as her sister remained mute, guilt washing over her lovely face.

His voice rose as he went on. "They were just children. Just children! You could have stopped her! You can't tell me you couldn't have stopped her!"

Cain, deciding everyone had heard enough, put his arms under the other man's and set him on his feet. The Tin Man was forceful as necessary, but only just. DG noted the touch of sympathy with which Cain handled Marcus.

Tears were in Azkadellia's eyes as she whispered, "I am so sorry."

Marcus didn't answer, but he didn't have to. His eyes spoke volumes as Cain led him from the room. Her apologies were not enough and would never be enough.

Azkadellia stood, clenching and unclenching her fists with her eyes closed until DG wrapped her in a warm embrace. She crumbled like a glacier succumbing to the sea, weeping into DG's shoulder. Orianah stepped in as well and with her help, DG guided her sister back to the bed and sat down beside her. Their mother smoothed her hair and whispered softly as Ahamo came to sit behind all three of them.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**__: Hey, thanks all! Glad you enjoyed the beginning. The reviews were great._

_HazzardGrl: Hee hee, yeah. Little reference. I mean, come on. You can't tell me Zero wasn't thinkin' about it when Jeb showed him those spoons._

* * *

It was good to be home.

He had removed the prison clothes he had been forced into and now wore the splendid white hooded robes of his master. His breath fogged in the cold before him as he strode down the icy hall towards the main chamber. He had been summoned.

The dual doors opened into the hall to allow him to enter. When he passed through, they closed behind him of their own accord. In front of him was a large ornate thrown, made entirely of ice.

Zero bowed low to the figure seated upon it. "Stribog."

His features were impossibly Nordic. Pale blonde hair was swept back from the sharp features of his pallid face. His eyes, with irises so light they were barely discernable from the whites, seemed to stare right threw Zero. He stood, tall and thin, and descended from the dais. Cold radiated from him as he came to stand before the prone figure of one of his most loyal servants. "Stand."

Zero obeyed and fell into step beside the Sutekh leader. He was silent, knowing that he was not to speak until he was spoken to.

"You were correct in your evaluations." The master's voice was cold and biting, like the winter wind tearing across a frozen wasteland. "The Witch did fail us."

"I take no pleasure in that, master." Zero replied. They were moving down a steep hill now, descending into the bowels of the frigid stronghold. "My wish is only to see your plan completed."

There was a hollow, empty laugh. "Your lies please me, Zero. I value your ambition."

Zero smiled. "I am glad."

"I'm afraid my promise of power was not incentive enough for the Witch to succeed. Fortunately, I have a second plan, thanks to her."

Stribog moved down a small, dark corridor. Zero followed, his curiosity peaked. "Thanks to the Witch? But surely the Princess Azkadellia knows of it."

"Just as it was kept secret from you, it was kept from her."

Zero felt a wave of anger course through him. "I see that you do not trust me."

"If I had," the words came pointedly from his master, "undoubtedly the Tin Man and his son would also know of this device?"

He cringed. The master knew of that moment of weakness. "I apologize for my cowardice, master."

"Accepted, my friend. The Witch's plan was a sound one, but a small piece of the puzzle. Fortunately for you, the master plan remains intact."

Pushing his mind from possible punishments that he had just been spared, Zero joined his master who was now standing on a small balcony, overseeing the expansive cavern below. It was amazing. For what seemed like spans, the cavern ran on, filled with computers, and enormous tubes that conveyed the power from the large, dome-shaped power source at the center of the cave. Men in green coats bustled around, and further down the flare of a welder came to life.

"How long before it is completed?"

"Only a few minor adjustments." Stribog smiled. "And one final component."

"Which is?"

"A sacrifice from the House of Gayle." The master smiled wistfully as he stared at his machine. "For many annuals, the line of that little other-worlder has ruled the great O.Z. The descendants of Dorothy Gayle will pay dearly for what was taken from us."

Zero knew the legend. All of his kind did. A young girl with her misfit friends had pushed them back, cruelly restricting the Sutekh to the cold climes of the North. The hatred had annuals to fester.

"As for you, Zero. For your help, what do you desire?"

"Revenge." The word was quick to his lips.

The master turned to look at him, almost amused. "Revenge? On Wyatt Cain, I presume."

"And his miserable offspring." He spat. "For their treatment of me in the Southern Forests. For their trickery. For their righteousness."

Stribog seemed immensely pleased at his request. "Indeed, vengeance can be a powerful motivator. Perhaps, more so than the promise of power."

"It is all that I ask, My Lord. For this opportunity, for your help, I will serve you loyally."

"That I doubt, my friend." Stribog smiled coldly down at him. "But the fall of Wyatt Cain fits nicely into my plans and the boy will be no trouble. He can be gathered easily after his father perishes."

Nothing he had concocted in prison would come close to what Stribog already had in mind. The Master knew the ins-and-outs of torture, not only physical, but mental as well. Cain would fall in the most humiliating way possible, of that he was sure. Then Zero would be able to stand over him with no pity in his own eyes.

Only exuberance.

"Please, Master." Zero barely kept the pleading note from his voice. "How will it be done?"

From the shadows stepped a woman, a pale blonde woman with blue eyes only a few shades darker than the Master. Fair, terrible, and cold she moved towards Zero, enveloping him in the frigidness as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cool lips to his.

As he pressed back hungrily, he knew that his revenge would be sweeter than even he could imagine.

* * *

"DG, it is all about rhythm."

The intended joke worked, snapping DG from her brooding. It a was a running gag between Cain and Glitch that somehow DG and Raw had gotten pulled in to, though neither the princess or the Viewer really had any clue what it was about. Someday, she'd have to ask. "Isn't it always?"

Grinning, the lanky, dark-haired man nudged his gray horse to trot back down the trail towards her. "Seriously, this time it really is. You just have to sit there and let the horse move your body."

"Sounds kinda obscene to me."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She said with a laugh.

Glitch laughed, too, simply because he had been able to cheer her up. "C'mon, we had better head back. You'll be late for your lesson with Tutor."

He turned his grand mount back and pointed him down the trail that would take them home to Finaqua. DG followed on her fat, quiet, reddish brown horse that her parents had restricted her to until she got a little more confident with the whole horse-thing.

Motorcycles she could handle. They didn't run away with you, they stopped when you fell off, and they didn't leave little presents in the middle of the road. Still, she found she was kind of fond the animals, especially this one. As a joke, she called him Speedy and favored him because his one ambition in life was to do as little work as possible. That suited DG just fine.

Glitch, on the other hand, looked as though he were born in the saddle. Before the Witch had taken his brain, Ambrose Grant had been a well-educated gentleman of the Court and the High Advisor to Queen Orianah, a post he honored when he would not willingly hand over the plans to his Sun Seater. They had been taken by force.

Once, not long after the surgery to restore his brain, DG had asked her mother how the post-surgery Ambrose compared to the pre-brain removal Ambrose. Orianah had smiled sadly and told her that she didn't think Ambrose would ever be the same again, no matter how well he healed.

However, it was DG's secret belief that it was not only the surgery that had changed Ambrose into what he was now. Both her Mother and Father had described Ambrose as a studious, quiet person, a concept that was hard for DG to wrap her mind around, considering the only version of Ambrose she had ever known was a spastic, kind-hearted person who was prone to meaningless verbal diatribes at highly inconvenient times.

The thing was, it seemed that the man hadn't had any friends. Orianah insisted that he spent most of his day locked away in his study, no matter how hard she and Ahamo had tried to coax him out.

The fact that he had friends now, close friends, was also a contributing factor to his personality change, of that DG was sure. Even Orianah had to agree that this Ambrose seemed happier than the one she remembered.

Much to his great joy, the Queen had returned Ambrose to his position as High Advisor, an assignment he took just as seriously as he ever had, but he never failed to make the Queen and Ahamo laugh at something before their morning conference ended.

DG had to smile as she watched her friend trot up the hill in front of her. Ever since his brain had been returned, Ambrose had taken more of an interest in his appearance. Even on the back of a horse, his brown Advisor's uniform was crisp, his boots shined, and his hair combed neatly over the zipper that still ran down the center of his head.

"Did you talk to Azkadellia this morning?" Glitch's voice called back to her.

"I haven't seen her." DG ducked an overhanging branch, feeling her chest tighten. "Mother went to her room this morning, but her door was locked."

Glitch drew up his horse. "Couldn't you, you know, just blow it open or unlock it with your magic?"

"I could, but if Az, doesn't want to talk forcing my way into her room is probably not gonna make her any happier." Speedy plodded to a stop beside Glitch's horse. "I wonder if Cain changed his plans since last night."

"Plans? What plans?"

"You didn't know either?" Glitch shook his head. "Cain asked my mother to be reassigned to the Eastern Territories."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Glitch started his horse moving again. The trail was wide enough for the horses to walk side by side. "He's been as grouchy as a Papay at dinnertime lately, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," DG smiled at the comparison. "But I'm worried about him."

"Can't say I'm surprised by that, either." Glitch replied. "He's on his way to an ulcer, the way he bottles stuff up. But maybe going east will help him straighten himself out, you know?"

"Maybe."

Together, they left the forest and headed across the grassy lawn towards the large, beautiful mansion that sat beside the lake. Already, DG could see Tutor standing out front. As usual, she was late for her lessons and it was quite obvious from the look on his face he was none too happy.

She drew up in front of her instructor and slid to the ground, smoothing her jacket. "Sorry, Tutor. It's just after last night I needed to get out for a bit. . ."

The old black man held up a hand to silence her. "You need to get to the main hall. . .now. You, too, Mr. Grant"

So she had misread his stern look. "What's wrong?"

"No time to explain, just go."

With a worried, silent exchange, Glitch and DG handed their horses off to the stable boy who had just rounded the corner. Together, they entered the palace and headed for the staircase that would lead them up one floor. They reached the top just in time to see Mary, the young woman who served the Royal Family tea, scurry from the main hall and push past them without the formal greeting DG had grown accustomed to. A raised voice issued from within the chamber. It was Cain.

Beside her, Glitch swallowed. "Uh-oh."

She knew what he meant. Cain was always even-tempered. Intense, but never out of control. If he had hit a point where he was yelling, it must be serious.

"I guess we better go in."

"Do we have to?" Glitch almost whined as DG grabbed his arm and pulled him through the chamber doors.

Orianah and Ahamo were seated together on a small sofa near the windows. To their left stood Cain, arms crossed looking extremely irritated. To their right stood Azkadellia, hands on hips, glaring back at the Tin Man resolutely. DG would have to sketch this one and entitle it "The Irresistible Force Meets the Immovable Object".

In the corner sat Raw, who had just returned with a report for the Queen from a small Viewer settlement not far from Finaqua. He had walked right into the teeth of the storm, the poor thing. DG gave a sympathetic wince as Raw cringed visibly from the psychic assault he was receiving.

"It is a bad idea." Cain said. "Haven't you learned anything from last night? Security isn't what it needs to be. And now you want to take a field trip?"

"What I learned," Azkadellia began with an attitude reminiscent of her former possessed self, "is that no matter where I am or what I do, there will always be someone who wants to kill me."

"All the more reason to stay put."

"For the rest of my life, Mr. Cain? Am I supposed to live like that? Locked away in a room with an entire battalion of armed guards at my door? I can't." She took a deep breath. "As a Princess of the O.Z. it is my duty to take up these tasks."

"Azkadellia," She turned to look at her father. "Mr. Cain is right. Your mother and I are proud that you wish to do your duty, but the situation being what it is, now may not be a good time. Let things die down a bit."

"They won't die down." Azkadellia replied, smiling sadly at him. "These problems won't go away. They'll get worse. I have to show the people that I am just as committed as anyone to the reconstruction of the O.Z."

"Look, I know we're late." All eyes turned to DG. "But what's going on?"

Cain strode towards her, still radiating hostility. "Your sister wants to tour the O.Z. with a bunch of cutthroats and murderers on her tail."

Azkadellia made a sour face at his back before turning to DG. "A small colony of settlers in the Southern Woods has been asking Mother and Father to visit and listen to their concerns for awhile now."

"With the schedule we've been keeping, we have not been able to accept." Queen Orianah's gentle voice was tinged with regret. "They are newly come to the forest and are having issues with irrigation and land management. They wish for some advice before setting up permanent residences."

"You could help with that, right Glitch?" DG turned to him. He had strategically placed her between himself and Azkadellia. "It might be a nice project for you to start warming up with."

He was sweating in his nervousness, but to his credit had not made one attempt to bolt for the door. "Yeah, sure. Be glad to."

Azkadellia tried to give him an appreciative smile, but Glitch suddenly found the tops of his shoes very interesting. She moved on. "It's not that far away and it's a relatively easy situation to deal with."

"Easy?" Cain was back for round two. "Did it occur to you, Princess, that perhaps these people are relocating because they no longer have homes? That possibly they lost everything to the Witch and are looking for a fresh start? That-"

"That they would dearly love to watch me be flayed?" Azkadellia shot back. "Yes, Mr.Cain, I did actually think of that. And, as much as this probably doesn't make sense to you, it makes me want to go all the more."

Cain's glare was unwavering. "Why?"

"Because for the last fifteen annuals, I have been an instrument of destruction. I have torn people's lives apart and I can't change that. All I can do is try to rebuild as much as possible." Azkadellia took a deep breath. "Don't you understand that I need to do this? To create something instead of destroy it?"

DG understood. This was make-or-break time for Az. She knew her sister wasn't one to take things sitting down and for the past month, that was what she had been forced to do. She was right, they both needed to take on more responsibility.

Maybe it was time for both of them to step up to the plate. "I'll go, too. Nothing can hurt us while we're together, right?"

She honestly thought she was going to get a death glare from Cain, but she didn't. He gave her a look of resigned understanding before turning to Orianah. "It's up to you, Your Majesty. If you want a detail, I'll put one together."

The Queen was silent for a few seconds. DG could see her weighing the odds. Finally, she set her lavender eyes on Cain. "See that they're protected, Mr. Cain, to the best of your ability." He nodded in response as she stood. "My duties here and in the city leave me no time to deal with these small, but important matters. I am sure my daughters will make me proud."

"We will, Mother." Azkadellia said as the Queen embraced her. When she pulled back she smiled. "Thank you."

Orianah touched her face. "Have I told you lately how happy I am to have you back, my Azkadellia?"

The smile turned a bit mischievous. "Not in the last hour."

The Queen left her as Ahamo stepped in. She headed for the door, stopping in front of DG. "You are a bad influence on your sister. She would never say such an other-worldly thing when you were children."

DG grinned. "Wait til she pops off one of those limericks I taught her."

"Do try to stay out of trouble, my love." Orianah said as she hugged her youngest daughter. She lowered her voice. "And do look after your sister."

"I will." She kissed DG's cheek gently before holding out her hand to Ahamo.

He took it after smiling at DG and softly caressing her cheek. "Be good."

"Promise." Her parents left and DG felt Glitch stiffen up behind her as Azkadellia approached. "Looks like we're going on a trip."

"So it seems." Azkadellia smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Deej. I don't think Mother would have let me go alone."

"We'll be okay." DG assured her. "Glitch will come and lend his brain." He nodded mutely. "And Raw," she added as the Viewer came up behind Az, "And, of course, Cain."

"Of course." Azkadellia turned to the man who was now leaning against the windowsill. "Mr. Cain. . ."

"I just want to make something abundantly clear to everyone." At "everyone", he glared directly at DG as if to make a point. "On this little excursion, what I say goes. No side trips, no running off. We go to the settlement, we come back. Got it?"

Azkadellia, unused to Cain's direct approach, simply nodded. Raw stared at the Tin Man while Glitch clicked his heels together and saluted, "Yes, Mon Capitane!"

He turned to DG who smiled innocently. "Me? Would I cause trouble?"

"The whole lot of you is nothing but trouble." Cain turned on his heel and walked away.

"We love you, too, Mr. Cain." DG said to his back.

Azkadellia smiled. "I'll go start making arrangements."

After the older princess had left, Cain came back to where the others stood. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Me, too." Glitch agreed.

DG didn't mention that it was the prospect of spending so much time around Azkadellia that was going to get him all worked up. "Az's right. She can't stay locked up forever."

"Now's not really the best time."

"Is there ever going to be a best time?"

"There will be better one's than this." Cain replied. "Zero escaped from the Incarceration Tower last night."

DG felt a shock ripple through her. "He was on the top level. That place is nearly impossible to escape from."

"It gets better. He didn't walk out, he flew. He had help." DG waited for him to go on, disbelieving. "There was a ten-foot hole blasted in the wall of his cell leading to the outside of the tower. He didn't jump, there was no trace of him to be found."

"And nobody saw anything?" Glitch asked.

"No."

"So much for the guards and their Seeing-Eye dogs." DG didn't take the time to explain the reference to her friends. "Does Jeb know?"

"He's been informed." DG could see concern behind Cain's eyes.

"What do you think Zero will do?" DG asked.

"Don't know." Cain replied. "He could try to rally some Long Coats together and really start trouble. Or-"

"Or Zero come for Cain and Jeb." Raw supplied.

"Yeah, there's that fun option, too." Glitch put in.

"What are you gonna do, Cain?" DG asked. "Are you going after him, are you staying, going east?"

"We're getting through this little trip you ladies are so anxious to take." There was a hint of exasperated amusement in his voice. "And then I'll take it from there."


	3. Chapter 3

"I have information for you." Lilith's cold hands moved up his back as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Something you may find very interesting."

Zero smiled at her teasing tone. "And what, pray tell, might that be."

"It seems," Her cool breath tickled his ear. "That the little heirs to the Ozian throne are taking a trip. Without Mommy and Daddy."

He turned quickly. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, I have my ways," she replied coyly. "I mean, even a man so clever as this Tin Man you obsess after doesn't see every creature as a threat to his charges."

"A spy." He loved it. "You have a spy in Finaqua."

"Indeed I do." Lilith said proudly. "And, you realize, of course, that your friend Cain will be accompanying the young princesses."

"I love it when everything falls into place." He pulled her closer. "What of the guards?"

"Mere mortals." She scoffed. "Easily handled."

"And it will be the youngest we take, right?"

"She is not yet as skilled in the Arts as her sister, but she will do nicely for what the Master needs. And she will be easier to control after we capture her."

"Even still," Zero said, "Any light of the House of Gayle will be able to overpower your magic."

"So little faith." She pouted.

"I'm being realistic."

"I didn't mean faith in my magical talents, love." She held up a glass urn, ornately scrolled with the mystical symbols of their kind. "I meant faith in my ability to plan."

"And the elder princess?"

"Oh, I thought perhaps you would like the honor of. . .dispatching her."

Zero thought back to his service to the Witch. How he had been made to feel a fool. Whipped like a dog. "With pleasure."

* * *

"That could have gone better." 

Cain looked up from arranging the logs on the campfire,"That, friend, is the understatement of the year."

Actually, it hadn't been as bad as Cain had anticipated, but then he had planned for torches, pitchforks, and a possible attempt at lynching. As he had foreseen most of the settlers had been wiped out by the Witch in the Northern Guilds and were now trying their luck in the warmer climes of the south. When Azkadellia had stepped from the carriage, the faces of the crowd had turned to stone and Cain had wondered how he was going to avoid a mutiny.

As he settled down on his bedroll once more, he looked towards the tent that would serve as the Royal Quarters for the evening. The two princesses sat in front of it, already dressed for bed and wrapped up in blankets. DG was leaning forward and talking in quiet earnest. Azkadellia was silent and staring at her hands.

As bad as the mission had started, it was DG who had managed to salvage it. She had nearly fallen out of the carriage in her haste to get to her sister's side and immediately latched onto Azkadellia's hand. With just a hint of nerves, she announced herself and her sister in the formal greeting of the Ozian court. With Cain and the guards in tow, the sisters had toured the settlement, gotten Glitch's opinion on one or two things and wrapped it up.

It wasn't the most comfortable operation Cain had ever conducted, especially when Azkadellia had clammed up and let herself be led around for most of the day. But DG had done well. At least, she got them through it without a major incident.

He couldn't help but feel a little proud of the kid. She had taken a genuine interest in the concerns of her subjects. The settlers had still been wary of her, given that for the duration of her visit she hadn't let go of Azkadellia's hand which to them was a strong show of support for someone that had ruined their lives. But DG's warm and caring personality had soon started to win them over. She had a ways to go, but she was definitely growing into her role as a leader.

As he watched, Azkadellia stood and wiped her eyes before heading into the tent. DG seemed to slump a little bit as she looked after her. Then she stood and pulled her blanket more firmly around her, heading across the campsite towards them. Some things from the other side she refused to give up and "sweats and T's" were one of them. Cain could see the cuffs of the pants above her bare feet.

With and annoyed flop, she landed on the end of the log Glitch was occupying. The man pulled a face. "Hey, Honey, keep moving. This is Man Country."

"What are you going to do? Make armpit noises or pee on the fire?"

Cain closed his eyes and shook his head. The things that were coming out of royal mouths these days.

Glitch squirmed. "Is that what you all do on the other side? That's disgusting."

"Well, not me personally."

Cain decided to reroute the conversation. "How's Azkadellia?"

"Not good." DG replied somberly. "It was like this was a test or something. And she failed. She keeps saying that she might as well renounce her title."

"Maybe she should." Glitch poked the fire with a branch. "She made a lot of enemies."

"The Witch made enemies for her." DG contradicted gently. "There's a difference. Look, I can't imagine what it's like for you . . . any of you." She looked to Cain and Raw as well. "But Azkadellia is my sister. She needs me just as much as I need her."

"Sorry, DG." Glitch muttered quietly, not looking at her. "It's just. . ."

"It's okay." DG unwound an arm from the blanket and put it around Glitch. "I don't know how I'd feel if I were in your shoes."

Glitch, apparently done with the heavy mood, grinned. "Well, I know how I'd feel in yours. Cramped. Your Highness has very small feet."

Cain smiled a bit as DG laughed and Raw considered his friend. "Glitch not very funny."

"What do you know about comedy, furry-lips?"

"Enough to know Glitch not funny."

DG calmed down and looked over at Cain. "What's with the sleeping bag? You're not sleeping out here are you? You have quarters with Glitch and Raw."

"Raw snores." Cain ignored the Viewer's indignant expression. "Besides, I can keep a better eye on things out here."

Her gaze was steady. "You're not going to sleep again, are you?"

The middle of a mission did not seem the appropriate time to be discussing his sleeping habits. "I'll catch some sleep if I can."

"There are guards all around the camp. I don't think anything's getting in." DG said. "You've gotta take a break some time."

"Look, kid," This was a little ridiculous. Glitch and Raw were watching them go back and forth. "I can look after myself."

"Apparently, you can't." DG replied, not the least bit put off by his surliness. "You didn't sleep the night Azkadellia was attacked, you've been up to all hours getting ready for this trip, you have barely slept since we left. . ."

"Are you my keeper now, Highness?" He spat the last word as a reminder of how much he hated it when she "pulled rank".

"No, but I am your friend, bonehead." She shot back before softening. "I'm worried about you. What's up?"

He glared into the fire for a few seconds before standing and grabbing his hat and duster. "I've got a post on the first watch. I'll see you all in the morning."

And with that, he stalked away from the campfire, feeling their eyes on his back. Thankfully, he moved into the bush and was swallowed up by the darkness.

_You're not hiding it well, Cain._ He moved around the perimeter of the camp, checking to make sure each man was at his post. He gave a nod to the two men on the north side. Both looked alert and attentive. They nodded their greetings in return as he moved on.

What was DG trying to say? That he was having trouble sleeping? Yeah, well, sure he was. He had family to protect, guards to whip into shape, and was trying to rebuild a respectable force of Tin Men. It didn't leave a lot of time for catnaps.

It wasn't like he was afraid to go to sleep. Or that the things going on between him and Jeb were keeping him awake anyway . . .

He walked faster. Why talk about it? It wasn't as if any of his friends were going to understand. So he was having some weird dreams. So what if he liked to work to the point of exhaustion just to avoid that unpleasantness? So what if his transfer had very little to do with chasing Long Coats and everything to do with outrunning old memories and vast shortcomings?

He wasn't afraid to go to sleep. He wasn't going to admit that. Not to anybody.

No matter how true it was.

* * *

The two guards had been easy. With a touch of her cold hand, Lilith had quickly frozen the blood in their veins and stopped their once warm and beating hearts. Quietly, they had pulled them off into the bushes so their bodies would not be seen. 

She had entered first carrying the glass urn with Zero behind her. With untold stealth, she slipped across the small camp towards the purple tent that surely held the sleeping heirs to the Ozian throne. With a whisper of cloth, she slipped inside.

Zero made to follow her when something near the smoldering campfire caught his eye; a simple bedroll with a form sleeping quietly beneath it. On it rested a very familiar object. It was the ever- present hat of one Wyatt Cain. Sleeping, unprotected and unaware.

A feverish delight gripped him. It was so easy. His Master's words were lost as he pulled the knife from his belt. "You have one objective. Do not stray from it."

He had been told Cain's time would come, but it didn't matter. Gone were the thoughts of torture and pain that he had planned so deliciously in prison. He wanted the Tin Man's blood. Now. He would take his revenge and be done with it. With feverish delight he fell upon the bedroll ripping back the cover and raising his weapon.

It was the Tin Man's coat and a blanket beneath.

A set of boots entered Zero's line of vision as the unmistakable click of a revolver being cocked resounded in the stillness. "Are you lookin' for me?"

Just then a shrill scream split the night. The next thing he knew, Cain's foot connected with his chin and Zero saw stars.

* * *

For the second time in a week, Azkadellia was wrenched from sleep by her sister's cry. Throwing back her blankets, she sat up and looked to where DG had set up her cot. 

In the light cast by what remained of the fire in the small stove near the tent's center, she could see there was a woman standing over DG holding a glowing glass bottle. Recognition flashed, but Azkadellia did not dwell on it. With fear in her heart, she threw out a hand and released her magic. The pale woman screamed and fell over DG.

The tent flaps rustled as Cain ripped through them, gun drawn. Following Azkadellia's gaze, he turned the weapon towards the threat and immediately pulled the muzzle back when he saw that DG was still in his line of fire. The woman took advantage of his indecision and hurled a ball of magical light at him. Before the Tin Man could move, it caught him full in the chest, sending him sprawling back through the tent wall. Through the hole his body made, Azkadellia could see Glitch and Raw running and hear the sounds of the perimeter guards shouting at each other.

Jumping from her own cot, Azkadellia ran to DG. The woman was gone. Apparently, she had rolled under the canvas and made her escape. There was another burst of light as she fended off the oncoming guards and fled into the woods. Two men shouted and were off after her in an instant.

Any thought of pursuing the attacker herself dissipated when Azkadellia caught sight of her sister. DG was still in her cot and unconscious, her breath coming in short gasps that fogged when she exhaled. Azkadellia fell to her knees beside her and put a hand on her forehead. It was cold as ice.

"DG?" _Please, please, please,_ she pleaded silently, _I just got her back._

Raw was beside her now. "So cold."

"Please, Raw. You have to do something."

The Viewer closed his eyes and put his hands on DG's head. Azkadellia felt the tent warm as he used his gift.

"DG!" Glitch squawked as he entered the tent, supporting Cain.

The Tin Man broke away and staggered to the other side of DG's cot. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Azkadellia tried to keep the panic out of her voice. She was nearly successful. "The woman was standing over DG, holding something."

There was a slight groan from the cot and they all looked back to DG. Her color was better but she was still pale. "DG?" Azkadellia called softly.

" 'm freezing." She managed.

"Glitch, get those blankets." Cain pointed to Azkadellia's cot before turning his attention back to DG, rubbing her arms vigorously through the blankets in order to build heat. "C'mon, kiddo, time to wake up."

Glitch returned and piled on the blankets. "Yeah, Princess. Let's see those baby-blues."

There was a weak smile as she opened her eyes. "Geez, feels like the freezer at the diner."

The noise of general commotion outside drew Cain's attention and he lurched clumsily to his feet. "I'll be back."

DG looked up, apparently taking a head count. "Is everyone all right? Az?"

She smiled, smoothing back DG's unruly dark hair. "We're okay. Cain took a hit." The sound of the Tin Man's voice barking orders came through the canvas walls, "but I think he'll live."

"What about you, DG?" Glitch knelt down, for once not noticing his proximity to Azkadellia. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," she answered. "Really tired."

There was something wrong. Really wrong. Azkadellia couldn't put her finger on it. "What happened?"

"I don't know. It got so cold." DG shivered as if the mere memory were freezing her. "I woke up and there was someone over me and she had her hand over my mouth. And it. . .it felt like she was sucking the life right out of me."

Azkadellia felt her concern mount as Raw said. "But DG scream."

"Yeah, I think I bit her. Hard, too." DG half-smiled. "And then I felt this intense cold in my chest, than nothing."

Suddenly, it hit Azkadellia what was out of place.

Quickly, she fell on her hands and rummaged through DG's bag beneath her cot. Her sister always had it. She took it everywhere.

"Yes," she said quietly as she pulled the small wooden figure clad in silk from the bag. She stuck the spinning doll in DG's hand. "Deej, make it float."

"Do you think now is the best time for a magic lesson?" It was said with uncharacteristic heat for Glitch.

Azkadellia ignored him. "I know you're tired. But please, just try."

DG looked confused, but complied. She opened her hand and let the little doll stand on her palm. This was easy for her now. Even if she was tired it should still come as naturally as breathing.

It didn't.

After a minute, DG opened her eyes and said softly, "I can't."

"Well, no wonder!" Glitch started again. "She's exhausted."

Still ignoring him, Azkadellia grabbed her sister's hand. There was no warmth, no wonderful familiar hum that always ran up her arm to her heart whenever she connected with her sister's magic. From the look on her face, DG was missing it, too.

"How is she?" Cain had returned, absently holding injured ribs.

"She took it." Came a small scared voice from the cot.

"Took what?"

A sob escaped DG. "My magic."


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey all! I'm going to start breaking these chapters up a bit. I was looking back and realizing, they're a little overwhelming. Yeesh, when I get started on a thought . . ._

* * *

"We were lucky to escape."

Zero didn't answer as he felt the dried blood at the corner of his mouth. He was fortunate Cain had been too distracted to notice he hadn't kicked him quite hard enough to render him unconscious. He had been able to stagger after Lilith into the bushes behind the princess' tent while the guards were still running around in confusion.

"You strayed from the objective, my love." Lilith spoke vehemently from where she stood at the mouth of the cave where they had taken shelter for the day. "Has your time serving the Witch robbed you of your sense of duty as well as your magical ability? Have you no longer restraint?"

"I couldn't let such an opportunity pass by." He spoke up, feeling anger rise as she threw his impediment up in his face. "Cain was right there."

"But he wasn't there, was he? You fell for a childish, stupid decoy." She spun, her anger plain. "I told you, I would deal with Cain."

"It's not your place to deal with him. It's mine." Zero reminded her. "Your responsibility was to take the younger princess's light and capture her."

"Which would have been easier if you had done what you were supposed to." Lilith said. "At least I was able to complete half of my assignment."

"Only half. Seems quite unremarkable, for an Ice Witch, really. I mean, the girl was asleep."

"Can I help it if the little wench is an animal?" Lilith examined the cuts on her middle finger. "I hope she is not diseased."

She sighed, and then as quickly as the winds change, her mood shifted. "But I suppose I will be spared. I mean, one light is at least a sufficient start."

"But not enough."

"I know. But if we exercise _patience _from here, the rest will come." Lilith came to sit beside him on his bedroll.

"You mean your spy in Finaqua."

"Yes, there is that." She smiled. "And other things."

"Such as?"

"The righteous are so predictable, my love." She reclined, lying on his stomach. "What do you believe Cain will do when they find out what we've taken?"

He knew what Cain would do. He would search to the ends of the realms to find Zero and return Princess DG's light.

"That's right." Lilith purred. "They will find a way. They always do. There is no need to pursue Cain, especially when our talents are needed elsewhere. And once he is taken care of, the princesses will be easily captured."

She had a point. But Cain was dangerous if you let him get too close to your front door. "It's too risky. Cain needs to be eliminated."

She laughed. Cold and clear. "I forgot to mention that, didn't I?"

Zero half-sat up to look at her. "What?"

"One day, you will learn to listen to me. Patience, I said-"

"What," he grabbed her arm and sat her up, turning her to look at him, "did you do?"

"I only released those nasty demons he's been carrying around inside." She said innocently. "It is so unhealthy to carry those things around and let them worsen. He really should deal with them."

"His memories?"

"Well, perhaps my magic will embellish on them a bit." Lilith smiled coldly. "Nothing is more pitiful then watching a strong man's descent into madness. All we have to do is wait and take him at our leisure."

"You are," Zero said, "brilliant."

"I know," she replied softly, "and hopefully, all of my brilliance will keep Stribog from killing you."


	5. Chapter 5

_LOL! Sorry, this one is going to have to come in two parts. People's heads will explode. Thanks all for reading. Reviews make my day!_

* * *

It was amazing how much you could depend on something and not even know it. Until it was gone. When she had lives in Kansas, she had not used her magical abilities. She hadn't even known about them, but still they had been a part of her. Affecting her.

Sitting in her windowsill with her head pressed to the glass looking down on the lake, she had never felt so terrible. She felt slower, mentally and physically. Her senses seemed dulled and her awareness lacking. The exhaustion had abated, but the depression was still hanging on. Never before had she felt so worthless and fragile.

And love them though she did, her friends and family were not helping. Azkadellia, wracked with guilt, refused to let DG from her sight. Ahamo had hugged her at least five times since she had climbed from bed at the crack of noon. Raw was trying to be comforting, but she wasn't in the mood to be comforted.

Tutor had passed her, but not seen her, as she was coming down the hall and he was moving down the one perpendicular to it and distinctly heard him lamenting the sad loss for the House of Gayle. Geez, she wasn't dead.

Her mother was -trying- not to hover, but DG saw her worried glances when the queen thought she wasn't looking. Was she wondering what would become of her throne if one of her daughters was incapable of magic?

Glitch. . . well, Glitch she hadn't seen all day. Or Cain for that matter. And she was still irritated with them.

_Deej, get a grip_. She told herself. It wasn't their fault. The irritation abated a bit as she consciously let it go, but the overwhelming hopelessness was just as unbearable. Who was that woman? Why had she taken her mother's most precious gift? And what was she planning on doing with it?

There was a tap on her door. "DG? Hey, I know you're in there."

It was Glitch. She didn't answer.

"Hey, your mother wants you down in the Main Hall."

Well, she wasn't interested in talking to her mother. Or anyone else for that matter.

"C'mon. You gotta come out some time."

Wanna bet?

"DG, look, I know you're feeling . . . lousy, but we're worried about you out here. We need to know you're okay."

Oh, great. Guilt.

"Besides, you need to see this thing I picked off Raw this morning."

She tried not to laugh. She really did, but she failed miserably. It was sort of like the first laugh after a great loss. It felt very wrong and very healing all at the same time.

It made it easier to smile when Cain pounded on her door. "C'mon, kid. I don't have time for this."

DG stood up and stepped a little closer so she could hear the muffled conversation in the hall. "No offense, Cain, but I don't think a heavy-handed approach is what's called for in this situation."

"Well, it's all I've got." His voice rose again. "Princess, you've got until the count of three to open this door. 1 . . . . 2 . . . . 3."

Nothing happened and she heard Glitch snort. "Way to follow through."

DG opened the door to find exactly what she suspected she would. Cain was giving Glitch a "look" and Glitch was trying to decide if he needed to run or not.

Both of the men looked at her. Cain softened immediately. "How are you doing?"

"Don't you start." DG warned. "I'm getting enough sympathy from everyone else in this house. Wanna make me feel better? Yell at me for something."

A half smile was her answer. "I'm about to give my report and Glitch has been holed up in the library for a while. Says he might have some interesting information for us. Are you coming or are you going to stay up here and sulk?"

Huh, that was better. "I'll come."

She closed her door and headed down the hall between her two friends. As they walked, she asked Cain, "So, how are the ribs?"

"They're fine." He had stubbornly refused to let Raw heal him after the attack. Something about going soft if he let the healer mend every bump, scrape, or bruise.

They were nearly to the bottom of the staircase when Cain pulled up short. "Jeb?"

Standing in the hall, dressed in the blue uniform of the Royal Army was Cain's son. He looked tense. "Hello, Father."

Father? When had they gotten so formal? When DG had last seen them together, Jeb had been calling Cain "Dad".

"What are you doing here?"

"I have important information for the Queen." Jeb replied.

"Don't you have couriers?" DG gave Cain a startled look that she saw mirrored on Glitch's face. The man should have been ecstatic to see his son, especially since Zero was on the loose and probably gunning for both of them.

Jeb's face turned harder. "It's extremely important."

"We were just headed in to talk with her ourselves." DG jumped in before things could get anymore awkward. "You're more than welcome to come."

Jeb stared at his father for another few seconds before nodding to DG. "Thank you, Your Highness."

DG smiled and gestured to the door. Jeb headed in and DG waited for him to get out of earshot before rounding on Cain. "What is the matter with you?"

The Tin Man was glaring angrily at the floor. "Nothing."

He walked off before DG could say anymore. She looked at Glitch who shrugged and then sighed heavily before heading into the hall.

Everyone was already assembled. Orianah was greeting Jeb near the windows with Azkadellia and Ahamo. Tutor and Raw were speaking quietly near the fireplace. Cain had moved to the window nearest the door and was staring angrily out it.

Upon DG's entry, Orianah touched Jeb's sleeve and gestured to a chair beside the loveseat she and Ahamo usually chose. Azkadellia remained standing. Giving her a quick smile, DG found a seat on the couch beside Glitch and gestured for Raw to join them. She was feeling a bit remorseful about her earlier treatment of the Viewer. He sat down carefully and patted her hand.

"Mr. Cain." Orianah called. "If you please."

When he turned from the window, Cain was all business. "The assailants began on the east side of the camp. They attacked and killed the two sentries stationed there and were then able to sneak into the camp undetected."

"And these men who were killed, their names?"

"Andrew Malone and Garrett Carter. Both fine men."

DG felt a cold steel knife twist in her gut, but she understood how her mother felt. These men had been people. They had laid down their lives to protect her and her sister.

Ahamo spoke. "Cause of death?"

"As I stated when we returned last night, I believe they were frozen to death."

DG looked to Glitch, who was not surprised, and simply nodded at her questioning look. "It's the middle of summer. How could they have been frozen?"

"Glitch has some information on that, Princess." Cain said. "I had been checking posts when I noticed Malone and Carter missing. I immediately headed back to the camp. There I found the man known as Zero crouched over my roll."

"But you were obviously not in it." Orianah stated. "You were thankfully patrolling. Why would Zero have stopped?"

"Uh," Cain cleared his throat and glanced at DG. "I had placed my coat and a blanket in the bedroll to make it look as though I were in it, Your Majesty."

Ahamo seemed confused. "Why did you feel the need for this decoy? Was there some indication of trouble?"

"No, sir." He sighed like a man about to confess. "Princess DG had expressed some concerns about my sleeping habits on this trip. I stuffed the roll in case she decided to do a bed-check."

For a few seconds, DG forgot the seriousness of the situation and her mouth got away from her. "You filthy, stinkin' rat."

Beside her, Glitch did his best not to laugh. Even Orianah bowed her head to hide a smile. There was a bit of happy relief in her eyes as she looked to Cain again. "Please continue, Mr. Cain."

"I had Zero at gunpoint when I heard a scream from the Princess' quarters. I neutralized him and called for the perimeter guard. When I entered the tent, I found that Princess Azkadellia had engaged an intruder. The woman attacked me and then fled beneath the tent. Two more of the men pursued them into the woods, but the woman was able to fight them back using her magical ability. Neither she nor Zero was apprehended." Drawing himself up to his full height, Cain turned to Orianah and Ahamo. "I am deeply sorry for my failure to protect your daughters. It was my shortcomings that allowed for this to happen."

DG felt her heart go out to her friend. What did he think he should have done? They were talking about a woman who had tried to suck the life out of her body and frozen two men to death quickly enough that they hadn't made a sound. How do you plan against that?

The Queen looked at her husband for a second before speaking. "It is because of you, Mr. Cain, that our daughters arrived alive here at Finaqua. Your bravery is to be commended. None of us could have foreseen such an attack. I thank you for keeping them safe."

"It seems our old friend Zero has found some new and rather dangerous company to keep." Ahamo observed.

"Yes," Cain continued, "Which is why from now on, I'm putting top security clearance on any movements of the Royal Family. This last trip was too noisy. We're keeping it quiet and I would suggest that any movements be limited."

"Very well, Mr. Cain" Orianah replied. "I will conduct what business I can from Finaqua until this can be sorted out. It's more easily guarded then the Central City holdings."

Cain nodded. "That's all I have. Glitch?"

He jumped up from beside DG and moved to the front with Cain, moving towards a large stack of books on the side table. "I've been doing a little research, trying to find out a bit more about our lovely lady friend. I think I found her."

"You know what we're dealing with?" Orianah asked.

"It's a long shot, Your Majesty, but maybe." He pulled a large tome from the middle of the stack, flipping it open to a page he had marked. He held it up for all to see. "I believe this, perchance, is what we're dealing with."

DG felt her chill return. It was a terrible and beautiful woman standing atop a craggy mountain while the snow swirled around her. Angry black clouds dominated the backdrop as she held a ball of radiant magic aloft. "What is it?"

"It's an_ Ishek_," Azkadellia spoke up. "An Ice Witch. But they're only in fairy tales."

"Begging your Highness's pardon," Glitch flipped the book back around, adopting a very formal tone. "But there is evidence to prove that such creatures could have existed. I believe it is not out of the realm of possibility."

Cain had wondered over for a closer look. "What makes you think this is our lady?"

"An Ice Witch draws her power from and harnesses the energy of extreme cold. They thrive in the harshest environments. They can drop ambient air temperature, even creating ice or snow at will." Glitch took a breath. "According to legend, these creatures are like parasites. They have the ability to tap the energy of other magical beings and use it for themselves."

"Like my light." DG said sadly. A sudden wave of frustration hit her. "Ugh, just how many magical beings are there in the O.Z. anyway?"

"Oh, well," Glitch spoke up. "According to the Zella Nikabob's _Ozian Field Guide to Mystical Creatures_ there are well over three dozen magical entities with varying degrees of ability ranging from your common nymphs, gnomes, and sprites all the way up through-"

"Glitch." Cain put a hand on the man's shoulder to cease the rant.

Glitch nodded, getting it. "If you like, I've got a list reference books that might interest you."

"Look," DG said. "The woman didn't absorb my light. She just . . ." her voice cracked a little. "she just took it. In a little glass jar."

"She did." DG was grateful when Azkadellia came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It was a small urn. I think it may have had carvings on it. It was still in her hand when she fled."

"Assuming that Ambrose is correct." Orianah spoke, looking to Tutor. "It is very strange indeed that this creature would take the time to store the light, given that she could have been discovered at anytime. Besides, a power as great as DG's would be quite a temptation for her."

"Makes you wonder what she's got planned." Tutor agreed.

There was a heavy sigh from Jeb. "I think I may be able to answer that."


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry the update took so long, folks. I've been sick and after dealing with a room full of rowdy kids all day on top of a head cold, the only thing I've felt like doing is sleeping._

_Read and enjoy!! And review, please!_

* * *

With a look of dread on her face, Orianah gestured to Jeb. "The floor is yours, Commander." 

With the precision of a military man, Jeb began. "About six months ago, a message was received by the Resistance Movement operating south of Central City. This message arrived by crow and how the author knew where to find us, we were never able to find out."

"What was in the message?" Ahamo asked

"A specific and detailed description of Fort Etain, a Long Coat outpost not far from where the Resistance was stationed. Included were enemy numbers and times for when the guard was changed."

"That was a valuable fort." Azkadellia spoke up. She was smiling grimly. "The Witch was none to happy when it was taken."

Jeb nodded. "With the details we were provided, we were able to take the fort without one casualty. The second message was even more interesting. It detailed a supply convoy heading out of Central City. Again, numbers of troops and a weapons inventory was included, along with a detailed itinerary of the convoy's movements."

"Did you attack?" Ahamo asked.

"We did, sir. Many of the Long Coats escaped, but we were able to seize the supplies."

"What were they?"

Jeb looked as though he were about to drop a bomb. "Moritanium."

The implications hit DG head on as Glitch burst out. "Moritanium _out_ of Central City? And not to the tower?"

"No." Jeb answered. "When we attacked, we were well north of Central City."

"There's another machine, isn't there?" DG said quietly, staring straight ahead. "That woman is going to use my magic to power some terrible machine like a Sun Seater, isn't she?"

Glitch winced as she attacked the machine he invented, but at the moment, she was too caught up in her own emotion to be sensitive to his feelings. She felt her stomach drop as she thought about what atrocities her light could be used for. People could be hurt . . . the O.Z. destroyed.

DG turned her wide blue eyes to her sister. "Az? Do you remember anything?"

The brief look of shock passed and concentration etched Azkadellia's face as she wracked her brain, trying to search the voids of her patchwork memory for any piece of information, any clue as to what the Witch had planned to the north. All eyes were on her when she refocused and said helplessly, "She blocked it from me. I-I can't remember anything about a second machine."

Glitch was talking again. Fast. "It can't be another Sun Seater. The eclipse has passed . . . "

"Easy," Cain said. "Maybe it was just a back up. In case the Resistance was able to destroy the original."

"Do you have any idea how much that doesn't make sense? The man power needed, the materials, not to mention the challenges of a power source, and the fact that I had only one brain to attach to it. . ."

"Ambrose!" It was rare for Orianah to raise her voice. Her advisor snapped his mouth shut. "Commander, if you would continue."

DG felt numb as she turned back to Jeb. How much worse was this going to get?

The young man reached into the front of his dark blue tunic and pulled out a scroll. "This message arrived yesterday into my hands. It is by the same author."

Orianah reached out a hand for it and Jeb handed it over. "It's encoded, Majesty."

"Indeed." Orianah had unrolled the scroll and was looking at it. "Do you know what this language is?"

"Yes." Jeb seemed even more uncomfortable. "It's an obscure dialect of Viewer called Tridic, used mainly in tribes to the north and east. All of the messages were written in it."

As Glitch made some comment about the oddity of the language the author had chosen to use, DG noticed Cain despite herself. He was staring at Jeb as though he had just the rudest shock of his life. He noticed her watching him and forced his face into a neutral scowl.

"What does it say?" Raw had been quiet but now seemed intrigued at the language.

"'It is built. More taken. No time left.'" Jeb recited.

"Construction didn't end with the fall of the Witch." Orianah stated solemnly.

"No, Your Majesty." Jeb replied. "It is my feeling that the Witch began work on a second machine and it has been completed by those loyal to her."

It made sense to DG, too. "But you don't know anything else about it?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Highness, but that's only the first three lines."

"What about the rest of it?" Orianah had passed the message to Glitch.

"What do you mean 'the rest of it'?" DG asked.

To answer, Glitch handed her the scroll. At the bottom, there were beautiful, flowing characters, four lines of them.

Azkadellia had been looking over her shoulder. "It sort of looks like the language of the Ancients. But there's something not quite right about it."

"We had thought that as well." Jeb spoke up. "We found one or two scholars that are versed in the picture-language, but when they translated it, it never made any sense."

"Ambrose, I want you to have a look please." Orianah instructed, "The rest of that message is vital. It could be the location of whatever this machine maybe or a description of its capabilities."

"If you crack that, I want to know immediately." Cain ordered.

"I'm on it." Glitch retrieved the paper from DG and gave her a wink and a smile before leaving the room.

"Is there anything else that needs to be added?" Orianah asked. Quiet answered her. "Then we shall adjourn and see what Ambrose yields. If the message cannot be decoded, then we will explore other avenues. Mr. Cain."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"If this information is accurate, it means someone is moving against my family."

"Security will be air-tight. I promise."

"I thank you again." She turned to Jeb. "Commander."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I want to make sure that we are prepared from a military standpoint to neutralize this threat. I will write a letter to General Ritnik outlining the situation and what needs to be done. I would ask that you hand deliver it to him when you return to Central City in the morning."

"The morning?" Jeb said, confused. "With all due respect, I was planning to return this evening."

"I understand your anxiousness," the Queen smiled, "but there are few others I would trust with this information. Besides, it is growing dark."

The smile had faded as she rose to look out the windows. "And the roads of my kingdom are not as safe as I would like them to be."

* * *

He was running, feeling every beat of his heart as it threatened to come through the wall of his chest. The stark white elm loomed in front of him. He ran past it and into the woods. Her name burned in his throat as he screamed it, beating back the underbrush. 

_He was so close._

The cabin was small and modest, lit by the faint gray light that filtered through the canopy. He called again, praying, pleading that this time. . .

The door opened and a slender form moved through it.

_This was how it was supposed to be._

The wind blew her soft honey-colored hair as she looked with those incredibly blue eyes towards the source of the commotion. They widened in disbelief and he saw his name come to her lips as she jumped off of the porch and ran to meet him. He was so close now; he could see the tears in her eyes. He reached out, so close. . .

And she was gone, leaving him grabbing for fistfuls of air. He stood for a second in shock, not believing.

Then he heard it. The sound of a small fist beating on metal. He turned, feeling as though his body had slowed. It was behind him, the form that he would never forget, the metal suit in which he had been imprisoned for so long. The one that now held his wife.

He could see her beating the glass, calling his name, begging for him to let her out. He ran to her and quickly unlocked her prison. He was here this time. He could save her.

But as he wrenched the door open, he saw that she had disappeared again. He screamed in his frustration and fell to his knees. Why couldn't he stop this?

Laughter sounded behind him and he spun around. Zero was there in his Long Coat uniform, standing over freshly turned dirt. The simple wooden marker with "Adora Cain" scratched crudely into it stood at her head.

"_Too late, Cain_," Zero laughed, mockingly. "_Too late to save her, again, Cain. Too late . . ."_

"Cain!"

His eyes shot open and he realized he already had a handful of the intruder's shirt as he fumbled around on his nightstand for his gun. It wasn't there.

It was dangling from between Glitch's thumb and forefinger. The other man was smirking. "The mark of a truly brilliant man is that he learns from past experiences."

"Give me that before you shoot yourself." Cain snapped, grabbing the revolver and replacing it on the nightstand. Then, he pulled himself to a sitting position and rubbed his face. The effects of the nightmare were fading, but the vividness was still clinging. He could feel his nerves still tingling and the sweat drying on his chest.

In the moonlight, he could see Glitch studying him. "You were having a pretty bad dream."

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No. What are you doing in here?"

"Oh." Glitch held up a piece of paper. "You wanted to know when I solved it."

He looked from Glitch to the paper and back again. "Already?"

"Well, it wasn't hard. I started with the Ancient texts, but like Jeb said, it didn't make any sense when I translated it. So I ended up going back to my old school books and looking at the alphabet."

"It's a picture language, how can it have an alphabet?"

Glitch glared at Cain for the interruption. "Among scholars, there is a certain order in which all known symbols are placed. It is an alphabet. Anyway, what I discovered is if you correspond a symbol in the message with one found three behind it in the alphabet, it gives you a clear message."

"Hold on," Cain held up a hand to stop Glitch. "He uses some obscure Viewer dialect to write part of the message and then some weird variation on the Ancients language to write the rest. How in the hell did he expect anyone to read it?"

"Guess its just luck that someone in the resistance spoke Tridic."

"Luck would have been-" Cain cursed under his breath for the slip.

"What?"

"Nothing." He pushed on. "What did the message say?"

Glitch looked at him warily, but read aloud. "Seek answers when Atla and Alena are making their longest trek. Do not delay. The gate of heaven awaits."

"I thought you said you translated it." Cain growled.

"I did. Can't you read it?" Glitch held up the paper with his elegant script upon it.

"Yes, but I still don't understand it."

"Well, bub, I was only told to translate, not interpret."

"What's going on?" Azkadellia in her night things stood looking confused in Cain's doorway.

"Like trying to sleep in a Central City bus station." Cain grumbled as he reached for his own robe and pulled it on. "What's got you up, Highness?"

"I was just checking on DG." Azkadellia entered the room. "I heard you two talking. What's going on?"

"Nothing, just go back to bed." Cain told her. "Glitch and I were just finishing up."

She was different then DG. Whereas the younger princess would have commenced to talk him to death had he dismissed her in such a fashion, Azkadellia merely crossed her arms and looked back coolly. "I'll go back to bed in a minute."

For a full thirty seconds, she met his gaze unwaveringly. Finally, he thought, _what the hell? _"Glitch managed to get us a translation."

The other man was staring at the page as though the message's cryptic meaning would leap off of the page at him.

The princess looked at him. "May I see it?"

The advisor looked up quickly to Cain, looking for approval. Grudgingly, Cain gave it and Glitch handed the paper over to Azkadellia. She took it and her brown eyes moved over it once before she spoke. "Atla and Alena? The twins?"

Glitch and Cain looked at each other and then at the princess. "You know what that's talkin' about?" Cain asked.

"Yes. It's an old Ozian creation myth. Neither of you have ever heard it?" The men shook their heads. "It's the story of two sisters that are lost in the forest and as their way grows darker, their lights grow brighter. Each day they travel the sky and each night they lay down to sleep."

"They became the suns." Glitch said, catching on.

"Yes."

A thought occurred to Cain. "The solstice is in two days. When the suns will be up the longest."

"Could it be a meeting?" Azkadellia asked. "At this gate of heaven?"

"It could be." Cain had been thinking along the same lines. "Do you know what our letter writer could be talking about?"

"No, I don't." Azkadellia confessed. "But my mother might."

"That's what I was thinking." Cain stood. "You two mind getting out of here so I can put some clothes on?"

A few minutes later, they were down the hall. Azkadellia slipped into her parent's chambers. There was a gentle murmur of conversation before the Queen's gentle voice beckoned them in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." Cain said to Orianah and Ahamo as he entered. "It's important."

"It's all right Mr. Cain." Ahamo answered as he rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Between Glitch and Cain, they managed to lay out all of the details. Orianah smiled at Azkadellia. "I don't believe you remember that story."

"You told it quite often."

The Queen made a face. "That's because I hoped the message would get through." She turned to Glitch. "A gate of heaven?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It's actually ringing a faint bell." She looked to Ahamo. "Anything?"

He smiled. "Of course."

"Are you going to keep us in suspense, dear?"

"It's called Heaven's Gate." Ahamo said. "It's about a two day's ride west of here, near a small town called Ruxton."

Orianah gave her husband a quizzical look. "How do you know that?"

"It's a rather unusual rock formation that I noticed when the storm first blew me here. I found the name appropriate since I passed over it to get to you."

Cain felt a twinge in his chest and cleared his throat. "Two days, you said?"

"Yes."

"All right. Let me get some provisions and I'll be on my way."

"The message was for your son, Mr. Cain." Orianah said. "Should he be informed?"

"No."

He managed to convey a silent message that the Queen understood. She nodded. "Ambrose will go with you."

"I'd rather go alone."

"Hey, hey." Glitch intervened. "Running off into the wilderness all on your own isn't smart. What if you get killed or something? Who's going to bring the message back?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Cain growled at a smirking Glitch. "Fact is, Majesty, I can move faster on my own."

"Ambrose will not be a hindrance. It is he that understands the language the author chose to communicate with. He may be of help."

"I'll go, too." Azkadellia spoke up.

"Oh, no." Glitch exploded as Cain put in. "No way."

Again, she did not argue with them and instead turned to her mother. "I believe I could help. What happened to DG was my fault."

"No, dear, it wasn't." Ahamo said.

"Yes it was." Azkadellia said adamantly. "I insisted on going. She only went on that mission because of me. If we're going to get her light back, someone needs to go along that has a basic understanding of magic."

"Princess," Cain spoke up. "We're going to have to ride hard to get to Ruxton by the solstice. That's going to be hard enough without having to look after you."

"With all do respect, Mr. Cain, it is perhaps you that will need looking after."

"Azkadellia has a point." Orianah said before Cain could argue. "Zero has already tried once to kill you and he is in the company of the Ice Witch. At the moment, Azkadellia is the only one equipped to deal with such a threat."

"Glitch and I can look after ourselves." He replied stubbornly. Wandering the countryside with a person sporting a bulls-eye on her back wasn't a good idea. "Azkadellia should stay here where she's safe."

"If there is another machine of some kind being built, even Finaqua won't stay safe for long." Azkadellia said. "Do you really think it's going to make DG feel better if either of you get turned into a Popsicle?"

"Oh, geez." Glitch grimaced. "DG. She's going to be mad if we leave without telling her."

"If we tell her, she'll want to go." Cain sighed. And at that rate, he might as well get some Eastern Guild tap-dancers into the act and make a parade of it.

"DG is in too fragile a state for such a journey." Ahamo said. "Without her magic, her mother and I worry for her safety."

"Agreed. But she's gonna be none to happy." Cain smiled slightly as he thought about the tantrum his young friend was going to throw.

"I will deal with DG." Orianah assured him. "And I'm sure Raw will be able to temper the blow."

"Poor guy." Glitch said with sympathy.

Cain turned back to Azkadellia. "Now, as for you, Highness. . . "

"Mr. Cain, I have a riddle for you. Where does a magic-wielding princess go?"

He groaned. DG had told a similar joke about a 900 pound ape. The answers were the same. "Anywhere she wants, I guess."

"Correct."

The Tin Man studied her for a second. "If you insist. Get your gear."

The young woman nodded and left the room. When she was out of earshot, Cain turned back to her parents. "This is not a good idea. That Witch is probably after her as much as Zero is after me."

"But we are on the defensive, now." Orianah replied gently. "Trust in her abilities."

Reluctantly he nodded before looking to the Queen again. "I wonder if you wouldn't mind doing me a favor, Your Majesty?"

_A/N: Sorry about the repost! I realized there was something missing and it was irritating me!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I would NEVER forget DG! Snickers OK, folks, here we go. How many balls can she keep in the air without driving her readers squirelly?_

_Reviews are nice-money is better! Kidding! Kidding, oh surly FanFic guard dogs, with your story-shredding teeth. This is for fun only._

* * *

"They WHAT?" DG yelled sending Mary scurrying again after the breakfast had been dropped on the table. "Without telling me?"

"There wasn't time, Angel." Ahamo soothed. "They needed to move as quickly as possible."

"Oh, I see. And a princess who can't even do card tricks would just slow them down." DG was hitting full-tilt as she began to pace the dining room. "Why couldn't I just have talking mice for friends like Cinderella did?"

Orianah looked perplexed, but Ahamo gave her a reassuring smile before returning his focus to their youngest daughter. "Honey, I think. . . "

"How dare Cain go all "Indiana Jones" on me?" DG spat. Again, being a slipper himself, only Ahamo understood the comment. "And Glitch! There's no telling me that he's completely innocent."

"DG. . ."

"And my own sister? Traitor. For Pete's sake someone coulda. . . "

"DG!" Ahamo grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her physically, hoping her mouth would follow suit. "They will be back in a few days."

"You know, Father, you really need to spend some more time with Cain and Glitch. If you knew them at all, you'd know that things are never that simple with them."

Her rant was interrupted by Jeb looking out of place in the doorway. "Your Majesty. I was told you wished to see me before I leave."

"Yes, Commander." Orianah beckoned him in as DG withdrew slightly, curbing her anger. "I'm afraid your return to your battalion will have to be delayed."

"Ma'am?"

"Your father left early this morning on an errand. I was hoping that you could take over as Head of Royal Security in the interim."

Suspicion flicked across Jeb's features. "Left for where?"

"An errand." The Queen repeated. "It was quite urgent."

"Surely there is a second in command. Someone more familiar with the procedures."

"None that I trust more than you."

Jeb floundered for an excuse and came up a little lame. "Your Majesty, it is vitally important that I get back to my unit."

"Are you suggesting that the safety of my family is not important?" To DG it came off with a snobbish tone that was uncharacteristic for her mother.

Jeb stiffened. "Of course not. It would be my honor to serve you in this capacity until my father's return." With that, he bowed, turned on his heel and disappeared into the castle.

DG looked after him for a moment before turning back to her parents. "Now just where in the heck did they go?"

Before either could answer, a young courier knocked on the door frame. The young blonde woman was breathing hard, as though she had just run a mile. "Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty, but I was told to deliver this to you immediately."

She held out a sealed envelope and Orianah took it. "Thank you, Corporal. Report to the kitchens and get yourself something to eat. You look about to drop."

The woman bowed low and disappeared as Orianah broke the wax and began to read. DG quietly watched her mother as the lines deepened in her forehead. "What is it?"

"The supply train I was sending to the Eastern Guild was attacked last night." She handed the letter to Ahamo. "Everything was taken and there were quite a few casualties."

"Long Coats." Ahamo looked up. "Commander Gilick estimates he was attacked by fifty Long Coats."

Her parents shared a long, concerned look and DG knew they were thinking about Azkadellia, wherever they had let her run off to.

She forgot her own problems for a minute. "I thought that most of them were running in small groups. Nothing that big."

"It was just estimation, dear." Orianah reminded her. "Still, such a large number does suggest some organization on their part."

"And you saw this," Ahamo pointed to the bottom of the letter. "It is Gilick's considered opinion that the Long Coats were well aware of their position prior to the attack."

Orianah shrugged slightly. "It's not as if we were extremely quiet about the operation. As a matter of fact, there was a great deal of fanfare concerning aide reaching the Eastern Guilds."

"But the itinerary was not made public." Ahamo pinned her with a serious look. "I know the thought is distasteful, my love, but we have to consider the possibility that the information could have been given to the Long Coats."

"You're suggesting a traitor in out midst."

"It's not impossible." Ahamo said gently. "But perhaps you're right. Any number of people could have had access to the itinerary and path the supply train was taking. All I'm suggesting is that we be a bit more careful."

"Agreed," Orianah nodded. "From now on, we take Mr. Cain's advice and keep things closer."

* * *

"I suppose you have redeemed yourself slightly." The Master was standing in the middle of the throne room, studying his re-creation of the O.Z. It stood on a podium, a crystalline relief that showed the entire realm in exact detail. "I was beginning to doubt your usefulness."

Zero winced as he moved. Stribog had not been happy when he and Lilith had returned from the south empty-handed. "Thank you, Master."

"If we can contain Orianah's reach to Central City and points south, it will make it that much easier to bring the O.Z under our control."

The plan was very simple. Zero's daring escape from the Incarceration Tower had already become a wildly embellished story and spread to the ears of former Long Coats. It had been very easy for him to convince his ex-subordinates that he was making a bid for control of the O.Z.. It was highly unlikely many would not offer their services to a race of beings bent on making the O.Z. completely uninhabitable for every other living creature. Zero was the front, but his orders came from the Master.

Already, he had managed to contact most of the rebel pockets to the north and brought them in line. The supplies headed for the Eastern Guilds had been taken. A small victory, but a serious blow to Orianah. Her authority would be shaken, and the trust of her subjects would falter.

"We need more "volunteers" as well." Stribog was saying.

"There's a Long Coat division west of Central City. I'll send along a message." Zero replied. "I will also order the troops moving east to be neutralized."

"Good." Stribog smiled. "Strike where you can. Show these petty mortals that no one is safe, even under the rule of the great House of Gayle."

The chamber doors opened and Lilith's lithe form came through them. "Wyatt Cain is no longer at Finaqua."

Zero cringed. While the news was interesting, the memory of his failure was still fresh in the Master's mind.

"I care not." Stribog replied coolly. "My focus is on obtaining what I need for the machine. The movements of the Tin Man are inconsequential."

"Did forget to mention that the Princess Azkadellia is also missing as well as the Queen's high advisor?"

Stribog, who had gone back to examining his frozen model, snapped his head around to look at her. "She's left the palace? Are you sure?"

"My source would know if the princess were not in her chambers."

"Cain's not that stupid." Zero spoke up. "To let a princess leave the protection of Finaqua after an attack?"

"But ultimately, the decision does not lie with him." Stribog said slowly. "It rests with Orianah or the princess herself. Cain is a Tin Man: A servant to the crown. You put too much emphasis on him."

Zero fought down the urge to rebut. Too many times, the Tin Man had been underestimated.

"I'm sure Orianah has faith in her daughter's abilities and after the embarrassing episode in the Southern Woods, Azkadellia will be alert." Stribog said. "A single Suketian will not be able to overpower her."

"She could not defeat a whole army." Lilith said, wistfully.

"Yes," The Master turned cold eyes on Zero again. "But thanks to a lack of restraint, we are still confined. Of course, had you succeeded, this whole conversation would be moot."

Zero felt the need to defend himself. "But we have the light of the younger princess. We can use that."

"The light is not sustainable." Lilith replied testily. "Without the source, the light will diminish and die in a few days if we use it. It is necessary to have the bearer as well."

"Lilith is right." Stribog said. "At this point. We would only be able to focus the energy on one particular spot for a limited amount of time. Anything larger than a100 square spans would be nothing more than a cold snap."

The Master stormed angrily away, but an interesting thought had occurred to Zero. "You can focus the power anywhere in the O.Z.?"

"Yes."

"Then, Master, all we have to do is find them."

Lilith crossed her arms. "And how do you propose to do that? They could be anywhere."

"You, my dear, have not spent enough time among mortals." Zero couldn't help but grin. "Perhaps you rely too much on your magic. It doesn't encourage you to use your imagination."

The Ice Witch glared at him as he turned to Stribog. "I have to relay the order regarding captives and the attack. I will also order all battalions to locate Wyatt Cain and the princess by whatever means necessary."

The pale man looked to Zero with interest. "A bounty hunt?"

Zero's grin turned feral. "There's nothing some men won't do for money."

* * *

"DG's turn."

She had been staring moodily out the window when Raw pulled her attention back to matters at hand. As a distraction, he had taught her a game played by Viewer children involving brightly colored pebbles and a wooden board with wells carved in it. He had beaten her soundly three times and the really sad part was DG was sure Raw was trying to let her win.

Without thinking, she moved her pieces around. Raw gave her look that clearly said "Are you sure you want to do that?" and proceeded to capture the rest of her stones.

She gave him a disgusted look. "I think you're making the rules up as we go."

The Viewer smiled. "DG not paying attention. Play again?"

"No."

"Take walk?"

"Thanks for trying, Raw."

After finding that Azkadellia, Glitch, and Cain had all ditched her, DG had slipped deeper into her depression. Tutor had insisted on drilling her to see if any of her magical talent remained. After an hour, DG had chucked the spinning doll across the room and stormed out. Since then, it seemed Raw was one of the few and the brave that would keep her company.

The Viewer sank a little deeper into his chair and remained silent. DG knew her parents had asked him to stay close to her, but she didn't mind. Raw was a calming influence. At least he had kept her from breaking.

DG felt the cold uncertainty wash over her. What was she going to do? Without her magic, what kind of princess could she be? And to make it worse, that crazy Ice Witch was going to use her magic to do who-knew-what to the O.Z.. Maybe she should just go back to Milltown and live with her robo-parents. Hell, maybe just back to Kansas. Ten bucks said Carter still needed a waitress.

A set of boots clipped their way briskly down the hallway. She looked up in time to see Jeb stride past the door. "Hey!"

The young man stopped and backtracked. "Yes, Your Highness?"

That's the third time you've been down that hall. Are you doing laps?"

"Just checking the guard."

"They're going to think you're crazy if you pop in every five minutes." DG tried to smile. "Your Dad at least gives them a half an hour or so."

"Since my father saddled me with this detail," Jeb replied acidly, "I want to make sure that I am not lax in my execution of it. Not that it will be up to his standards, I'm sure."

Jeb's venom made DG forget that she, too, had a bone to pick with Cain. "What do you mean? My mother ordered you to stay."

"I'm sure at my father's request, Highness."

DG had to concede, it was a very Cain-like thing to do. "He's probably just worried because Zero took a shot at him and he's concerned about you."

"I'm aware that he believes me incapable of taking care of myself."

She sighed. "Jeb, what's wrong? You and your dad were getting along so well."

"I appreciate your concern, Your Highness, but I'm sure that my relationship with my father should be the least of your current concerns." He gave a small bow. "If you'll excuse me."

DG had barely nodded when Jeb stormed from the room.

Raw followed him with his eyes. "Much anger."

DG gave him a wry look. "Thanks. I got that one on my own."

_**A/N:** Yes, the game is based on Mancala. And I agree with DG, there's no making sense of that game._


	8. Chapter 8

The first 'incident' occurred just before noon.

Cain pulled up his horse, a sturdy sorrel animal and swore under his breath.

Glitch stopped beside him, wearing what DG called his 'Cary Grant' hat that covered the zipper on his head. Thankfully, Orianah had been able to talk him out of the advisor's uniform and into more trail-sensible clothes. He was wearing dark trousers and a light jacket over a white shirt. "That's not good."

Below them was the Falisi, a normally quiet and meandering river that had been swollen by the previous night's rain. White caps peaked over the rocks hidden just below the surface. Tree trunks and various other bits of debris were being washed down in the ruddy current. It was a veritable obstacle course. Any other time, the water wouldn't have reached the horse's hocks. They were definitely getting their bellies wet today.

Cain felt his headache getting worse. Already, the light was too bright and he had that pain behind his eyes that always accompanied a bad night's sleep. Or a string of them.

Azkadellia had pulled up on Cain's other side. It was a bit odd to see her in loose fitting pants and a shirt borrowed from her father.

Cain nodded towards the river. "Anything you can do about that?"

"I'm not a water nymph." She said apologetically. "My power comes in the form of light and energy."

"I thought the great and terrible Witch could do anything." Cain seriously doubted Glitch meant for Azkadellia to hear.

She did. "First of all, that's not true. Second of all, any power I lost I was happy to give up . . .along with the old hag that possessed me."

Both Glitch and Cain sat shocked for a moment. Usually, Azkadellia walked on egg shells around Glitch, undoubtedly because of the guilt she felt. Apparently after eight straight hours of the cold shoulder Glitch saw fit to deal out, she was done playing nice.

Cain recovered. "Okay, so we do it the old-fashioned way. Azkadellia, you stay behind me. Glitch, bring up the rear. Stay upstream and don't get caught in those rapids." He pointed to where the water got rougher and faster. "They'll be no getting you out of there before the falls."

Glitch nodded mutely and Azkadellia took a firmer hold on her reins, looking nervous. Cain's horse began to descend the hill with her mount behind him. The sorrel splashed in easily and began picking his way along. Cain moved him a few steps in and then turned to watch the progress of his companions.

Azkadellia's little bay mare danced about on the bank for a few seconds before taking a flying leap and splashing into the current. The princess rode it out, but made a face as the cold water leaked into her shoes. Cain would swear Glitch's big gray charger turned up his nose pretentiously before delicately picking his way into the dirty water.

Nudging the sorrel, Cain gave the sure-footed animal his head and let him find his own route. It quickly became clear that the water was deeper than anticipated. The horses were sloshing through water halfway up their barrels. The thighs of Cain's pants were soaked.

He looked back again to check on Azkadellia. Her mount was a few inches shorter than his own and he could see that she was drenched from the waist down. "Are you okay?"

"It will take more than this to put me off. Mr. Cain." She shouted back.

She got it in the next instant. As Cain looked upstream, a massive old oak tree had been washed from the shore of the river and was barreling towards them broadside. Cain and Azkadellia were directly in its path.

"Azkadellia!"

She reacted quickly and threw out a hand, blasting the tree neatly in two with her magic. It broke with an ear-splitting crack, spooking Azkadellia's mount. The skittish mare reared straight back, struggling against the bridle and fell over on top of her rider.

Cain screamed her name again as the mare climbed to her feet, the saddle empty. About twenty feet downstream, she surfaced, sputtering and coughing, only to be hit by the trunk of the tree she had just demolished. Azkadellia went under again.

Cain wheeled his horse as Glitch clocked his soundly in the ribs. The gray bounded down the river, his long legs giving him the advantage over Cain's horse. "Do you see her?"

A flash of black hair caught Cain's eye. "There!"

Somehow, Azkadellia was conscious and had broken the surface of the water, coughing. Her hands reached out for boulders and limbs, anything that would keep her from the faster moving water. Cain could feel the current strengthening against his legs as he growled at the horse to move him on.

Glitch's horse lunged forward under its rider's skilled hand, water to his chest now. The current was pushing the horse's haunches sideways as Glitch pulled alongside Azkadellia and reached for her. She grabbed his arm and kicked, trying to propel herself to him as he braced in his saddle and pulled.

Cain was behind her now and reached for the leather belt she wore. With a yell to give himself strength against the current he picked her up and threw her to Glitch who pulled the princess into the saddle in front of him.

Together, Glitch and Cain urged the horse's forward as the sucking undercurrent tried to pull them back. With a great jump, Glitch's horse lurched up the bank as Cain's scrambled up behind him. Both animals were panting hard from the effort.

Not far away, Cain could see the Azkadellia's mare wandering among the trees. Seeing that Glitch was already pulling Azkadellia down from the horse, Cain headed towards the bay. The little horse nickered a greeting to Cain's sorrel. As he reached down from his saddle and gathered the reins, he resisted the urge to grumble nasty things about the mare's intelligence and her obvious relation to a stubborn little ass. She trotted contentedly behind him as they returned, apparently having her fill of adventure for one day.

Glitch had propped the princess against a tree and was kneeling beside her, albeit at a distance, and watching her closely. She was coughing and shaking, but alive and breathing. There was a beauty of a bruise flaring over her left eye and he could see her hands were torn and bleeding from where she had clawed at the rocks.

Cain stopped the horses alongside Glitch's and tethered them to some low hanging branches alongside the gray. Then, he unlashed the bedroll from behind his saddle. By some miracle, it was only a little damp. With long, quick strides he approached the other two and knelt down beside the pale princess to wrap the blankets around her. "Where does it hurt?"

Azkadellia was still dazed. "It doesn't."

"It will." Cain replied. "That was a hell of a fall."

"I know." She focused on him. "Thank you, Mr. Cain. And Ambrose, thank you, too. You saved my life."

"Yeah well." Glitch stood and brushed at the mud on his trousers. "DG would never forgive us if we let something happen to you."

He walked off without meeting Cain's eyes, heading towards the horses and beginning to run his hands over the gray's legs when he reached him, looking for injury.

"I told her to do it, you know." He turned back to look at Azkadellia. She was staring straight ahead, but unseeing. "I told her, 'He needs to pay for his insolence. Take what is most precious to him'."

It had been her idea to take half of Glitch's brain? Cain felt the anger rise in him. All along, he had pitied her. He had told himself that she was incapable of fending off the Witch or resisting her. It was the only thing that had made being in her presence tolerable. And Azkadellia had to be tolerated for the sake of his friendship with DG.

Was she telling him that she had conscious control during her possession? That all of those things that happened to Glitch, to Raw, and to his family, could have been stopped? His voice had a dangerous edge to it when he spoke. "Why would you tell her that?"

"It was the only thing I could think to do to save his life." Came the quiet reply.

There was a stab of confusion but the anger was slow to die down. He let her go on, unsure of what he should say.

"She wanted him dead, Mr. Cain." Azkadellia's voice broke a bit. "After he destroyed the plans for the Sun Seater, she was furious. Murderous. And I just. . .I remembered him. What a good person he was. I couldn't let her just kill him.

"And the old Witch loved it. She thought she was turning me when I suggested things like that." There was brief pause as she leaned back, the tears starting to flow. "I got so tired of the killing. So, I started to nudge her thoughts in different directions. Ideas that would giver her control without the killing."

Cain understood. "The Vapors."

"Very good." Azkadellia nodded. "And the Viewers. She wanted to annihilate them. I told her they would be useful for interrogation purposes to find the emerald. I knew she would never find it like that. My mother was too clever."

Azkadellia looked to her still-trembling hands. "Even your metal prison, Mr. Cain, was my idea."

He felt himself start, but managed to keep an even tone. "Why?"

She closed her eyes. "Do you remember the early years of the Resistance? What she would do to prisoners?"

He had heard the stories. Torture at the hands of the Witch had your praying for death. And this girl had had to watch all of those horrors unfold.

"I just saw so much killing. I wanted it to stop. What I didn't realize was that on most occasions, I was sentencing people to a fate worse than death. I always kept telling myself that if I held out a little longer, if I could minimize the damage, I could stop her. Or the Resistance would prevail. Someone would stop her." Azkadellia wiped her eyes. "I never thought it would take fifteen annuals. I really didn't."

He had never thought himself likely to forgive her. In his mind, she would always be at least partly responsible. But now, he felt that ebbing away. There was sympathy and something akin to respect taking its place. She had survived her own prison and kept hold of her wits to boot. It was not unlike what Cain had endured. His prison had been a metal hell, but in some ways, her prison had been worse. She had been trapped in her own body, only barely able to sway the horrible events that had taken place around her.

Sometimes, it was hard to remember that she was a victim and a survivor, too.

He was seeing that a little more clearly as he moved closer and knelt down in front of her. "I'm sure Glitch will understand what you did for him."

"Even if he doesn't, I can't blame him." Azkadellia took a breath to regain her composure. "I should have been stronger."

Her words struck a chord, but Cain cleared his throat to push on. "You want to keep going?"

She gave a sardonic, decidedly un-princess-like snort. "I'm on the wrong side of the river to quit now."

_**A/N:** Two chapters in two days? Don't get used to that! LOL, I just really wanted to get this chapter out there._


	9. Chapter 9

The wind blew, banging the shutters on the old, gray, clapboard house. It whistled around the eaves and rustled the long, dry grass in the small fenced yard. Behind it stood a small red barn.

The wind blew harder. Whining and crying insitantly.

As the skies darkened, a weather vane in the shape of a running horse stood out prominently on the cupola. It squeaked as the wind pushed it to and fro. Finally, it caught the weathervane in its teeth and began to spin it violently. Faster and faster it went until surely it would break off and take flight on its own.

There was a screech and the silence was deafening. The sounds of the wind and storm ceased. The weathervane had stilled. In a flickering streak of lightning, she could see it was pointing northeast.

A flash of light blurred the scene. When it cleared, the skies were blue. A golden road laid out, winding its way through a forest of tall, stately trees. The wind was soft now, and a gentle voice carried on it. "The path to your future lies in the past."

DG sat bolt upright in bed. What in the heck?

She had had dreams like this before, right before a travel storm brought her to the O.Z.. In them, her mother had been warning her of danger. She hadn't had the sense to understand the dreams had meaning at the time.

Scrubbing her face with her hands, DG sighed. This was the second night in a row she had had this dream. There was no mistaking it. She knew better now. Someone was trying to tell her something.

What was she being told, though? An old house and a barn? The vision had been vague, but she was fairly certain she had seen this place before. The urgency clicked up a notch as she searched her memory. It was there, just beyond her grasp.

DG slipped from her bed and stood by her window. A weathervane, pointing northeast. Was she supposed to go northeast? Is that the way her sister and her friends had gone? Probably not. From her limited understanding of Ozian geography, there wasn't much to the northeast. Small factions of Eastern Guild people lived there, but civilization was sparse.

Besides, she would never get her parents to let her go. They were still watching her closely, worried by her sullenness and her occasional outbursts of temper. They expected her to wait until the others got back with some answers.

But she couldn't wait.

There was something about that dream. It niggled at her uncomfortably. A familiar underlying urgency that wouldn't let her forget it. It had been stark and vivid, as though she could reach out and feel the rough wooden fence beneath her fingers.

She had to go. She didn't know where or why. But she had to go.

_Could be a trap_. DG wondered why the voice in her head sounded an awful lot like Cain and why she felt the need to reason with it. It didn't feel like a trap. It felt like something she needed to do. The Tin Man would have loved that explanation. Not.

_But you don't have your magic, Deej._

She was at her closet pulling out clothes in the next instant. Damn it, she still had a head on her shoulders. It wasn't like she was an invalid. She would make do. After all, she had survived nearly three days in O.Z. before she discovered her talents and even then, they hadn't been much good to her. She had barely known how to use them.

She had to go. And anything was better than just sitting around and waiting for news.

For the first time in days, she felt like she had purpose again. Of course, she really had no clue where she was going, but at least she was going.

Wanting to avoid making noise, DG picked up her beaten old tennis shoes, knowing that the rubber soles would squeak horribly on the marble. Quietly, she opened the door and slipped into the hall.

A pang of guilt hit her as she looked to her parents' door. They would worry, and she hated the thought of putting them through it, but they wouldn't understand. She needed to go.

She scurried down the hall to the stairs and focused on a plan. There were guards stationed at the front and side entrances. Jeb had staked extra patrols around the perimeter and near the kitchens. That was going to make getting provisions a little dicey, but there was no way she was trekking across the O.Z. with nothing more to eat than roots and berries this time.

When she made it to the main floor, she chanced a look out the large panes of glass at the front of the castle. The guards were still facing front, peering out into the darkness. She hurried down the hall and into her mother's study. Cringing, DG rolled up the cover of the desk, praying she wouldn't wake the whole house as it ground its way up.

Hurriedly, she found pen and paper and scratched out a quick note to her parents. At least they wouldn't think she had been kidnapped. Assuring them that she would be okay, she signed her love and folded the paper, leaving it atop the stack of reports where she was sure her mother would find it.

Glancing down each end of the hallway and finding the coast clear, DG snuck towards the back of the house to the kitchens. Passing the grandfather clock, she checked the time. Good, the shift had changed nearly forty-five minutes ago. Sometimes, Cain would grumble about the men loitering in the kitchens after their late shift, and DG had no intention of walking into the middle of a pack of soldiers enjoying a midnight snack.

The large, stone kitchen was dark and quiet. DG moved past the large range that looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant in Hollywood. Surprisingly, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary in here except the weird looking contraption that Glitch had the nerve to call a potato peeler. When she had first been in here, DG was half expecting something from the medieval times with big cauldrons cooking over the fire. She had been kind of disappointed.

Passing by the rack of pots and pans glinting in the moonlight, DG made for the pantry. The wooden door squeaked as she opened it. On the floor was a pile of old burlap flour sacks. She snagged one and began to fill it with apples, bread, and anything else that might keep on a long trip.

Satisfied, she closed the door and turned her thoughts to the next problem: getting past the guards. With a sigh, she realized that her departure was not going to do much for Jeb and Cain's relationship. The overprotective Tin Man was going to flip when he found out a princess had flown the coop right under his son's nose.

Of course, any remorse she may have been feeling dissipated when the lights flicked on. She gasped before putting a fist on her hip and saying in an irritated voice, "Does anyone in your family sleep?"

Jeb was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed. "I thought that sounded a little big for a mouse. Where are you going, Highness?"

"For a walk." Jeb eyed her bag and looked back at her. She huffed. "A long walk."

"You can't take off after your sister, Your Highness." Jeb said. "You need to stay here where it's safe."

DG felt her anger raise a notch. "I'm not going after my sister. And aren't you supposed to keep people from getting in, not out?"

"I'm supposed to protect you."

"Look," DG narrowed hr eyes. "I have something to take care of. As a Princess of the O.Z., I am ordering you to . . . go away."

He wasn't impressed. "I will wake up your mother."

She growled in frustration before remembering to keep quiet. "You aren't getting this, are you? I am going insane! My friends and my sister are off who-knows-where doing who-knows-what because no one will tell me anything. I have to do this. So go ahead, wake the house. I promise, though, I will find a way."

"Your Highness . . ."

She would have no more of it. "If rotting here in Finaqua is enough for you while other people are out fighting then more power to you."

Instantly, she regretted the words. He was trapped here, too, but in her fury she had forgotten that. Without another word, the young man switched off the lights and turned, leaving her alone.

Shame filled her as she reached down and picked up the bag again. "I'm sorry, Jeb."

Quietly, DG looked out the kitchen door. There was no guard posted to it, but they did patrol past it routinely and often. There was no one in sight as she slipped out and ran up the stone steps.

She had been weighing her options. She could go on foot, but the need for urgency was winning out. There were no motorized vehicles at Finaqua and even if there were, she got the nasty feeling there were no roads where she was going anyway. That left a horse, and even as slow as he was, Speedy was going to be faster than walking.

The shed row was unguarded and DG ran across Finaqua's expansive lawn, sticking to the shadows and twice ducking behind a bush when the alert sentries seemed to spot something. Finally, she was able to slip into the barn.

The fat chestnut was dozing and merely flicked a perturbed ear as DG opened his stall door. "Okay, fireball, let's go."

Speedy was suitably uninspired as DG flung a blanket and saddle over his back. That was as far as she got. Glitch had shown her three times how to cinch the saddle, but he had always been there to point out where she was going wrong. Tonight, DG was by herself with nothing but moonlight to see by. She stood and stared at it for a long time, hoping that the cinch would magically tighten itself.

She jumped when a pair of hands began to expertly loop the leather through the buckles. Jeb was attached to them. He had traded his uniform for clothes very much like those he had been wearing when Cain first introduced DG to his son. "I'm going with you."

"I didn't ask for company." DG replied. "You're supposed to be protecting Finaqua and my parents."

"I told you, my father just wanted me to stay put. Since you're disobeying your parents, I'll disobey mine with you." Jeb gave the girth a final tug. "Besides, there are plenty of good men to stand guard and enough magical enchantments on the place to keep anything out. You're going beyond the reach of that magic. Someone is going to have to keep an eye on you.

She had to admit, the thought of company, especially well-traveled company that knew the country, was a reassuring: even if it was hostile, berating company. She was used to that anyway.

Jeb slid Speedy's bridle up over the horse's ears. "Where are we headed?"

"Northeast."

"Northeast? There's nothing out that way but the Eastern Guilds. Why go that way?"

He wasn't going to like the answer. DG stiffened her spine. "Because that's the way my dream told me to go."

Wordlessly, Jeb started to slip Speedy's bridle back off.

"What are you doing?"

"Highness, you are crazy." He said. "I am not running all over the O.Z. because you had a nightmare."

DG grabbed his arm. "I didn't ask you to come remember? If you want to stay, fine. But I'm going."

"Over a dream?"

"One thing I learned fast in the O.Z. was sometimes instinct is the only thing you have to go on. My gut is telling me this dream is a message."

He stared at her before sliding the bridle back on and buckling it. "This is insane."

"I'm sure it won't get any better. Last chance to bail out."

Jeb glared at her and slapped the reins in to her hand before leaving the stall. DG followed with Speedy plodding resolutely behind her. Jeb spoke up, "Are you ready?"

Who was he talking to? Heaven help him if he brought half a battalion with him. But when DG looked, all she saw was Raw standing in the middle of the barn holding the reins of two more saddled horses. "DG not go without Raw."

Dropping Speedy's reins, she ran to the Viewer and hugged him fiercely. "No, I wouldn't go without you."

As she let go of her friend, Jeb came back leading Speedy, who had apparently taken the opportunity to make a bid for freedom and the green grass of the lawn. "Hold on to him, please."

DG took the reins as Jed slid a rifle in the scabbard behind the saddle of the tall bay horse. "Let's head out the back. We can cut through the woods and hit the lane. We can stay on that until the sun comes up."

Raw had lashed the food bag to the front of his saddle. "Sun up soon. Most hurry."

Jeb led his horse, followed by DG with Speedy, and then Raw with his dark horse. As quietly as possible, they mounted in the yard and headed in the direction Jeb indicated. When they reached the top of the hill, a blast of cooler air hit DG's face. They had left the magical protection of Finaqua.

They were on their own.


	10. Chapter 10

"Another message from Finaqua." Lilith said as Zero walked into her tent.

"What is it?"

"Princess DG has also left the castle."

He looked sharply at her. "When?"

"Last evening." Lilith half-smiled. "My source tells me that the guards tracked three sets of hoof prints up the lane that leads north towards Central City, but that the trail was lost when they veered off into the woods."

"Who went with her?"

"The Viewer and the son of the Tin Man." Lilith cocked her head at him. "Does this change our plan? The disarmed princess would be easier to capture."

"But capturing both of the princesses would be even better." Zero told himself that he was being practical, that he wasn't suggesting this just so he could go after Cain himself. "We've already started moving south. We keep to the objective."

In order to increase the odds of catching up with Cain, Grant, and the princess, Zero had convinced Stribog to let him lead a small group of Suketian warriors towards Central City. The eight of them, including Lilith and Zero, traveled by night, hiding from the unforgiving glare of the suns when they crested the horizon.

Lilith studied him. "I do hope your feelings are clearer than they were last time."

"I'll send word to the Long Coats operating in the north to apprehend Princess DG and her companions. They should be able to do that."

Lilith came forward and undid the top button on the restrictive collar of his Long Coat uniform. "Must you go?"

"I'm afraid so." Zero replied. "Someone has to lead this coup."

"When will you be back?"

"I'll rejoin you before nightfall."

She looked distastefully through the thin canvas at the sunlight before reaching into her robes and pulling out a thin, blue vial. "To sustain you."

Taking the bottle, he smiled. "I long for the days when we must no longer do this."

"Those days are coming, my love."

"If all goes to plan . . ."

She wrapped her thin, pale arms around his neck. "It is a good plan."

"It won't be long, now." He pulled the stopper from the bottle and drank, feeling the contents blaze a cold trail down his throat.

* * *

Orianah put a hand to her head and tried to rub out the tension. She was supposed to be reviewing the latest damage reports, but instead, she found herself rereading her daughter's letter. There had to be something, anything that explained why DG had done this and where she had gone.

But there was nothing. Only a "please, understand," and an "I love you both so much," before DG had signed the letter. Orianah closed her eyes. There was so much evil in this world, and now her youngest daughter was out in it with no magic to keep her safe.

A gentle knock issued from the doorway of her study. She looked up to find Ahamo standing in the there. "I haven't seen you since breakfast."

She motioned him in. Ahamo closed the door behind him as Orianah handed him one of the reports. She said in a low voice. "The troops that I sent north were hit last night. Nine men dead, forty others wounded."

Ahamo skimmed the reports. "We kept this under wraps."

"Just you and I and General Ritnik knew about it until right before the deployment. It seems you were right, my love, there is a traitor in out midst. And, most likely, right here in Finaqua. I won't rule out a leak along the chain of command, though."

"I wish that I was wrong, dear."

"That's not all." She held up two more reports. "There have been more abductions, both in the north and the south."

"The enemy is everywhere."

"Indeed. And, unfortunately, there are very little resources availible to deal with them." Orianah slapped the papers down in frustration. "Most of the Royal Army is green recruits and there are only 5,000 of them. There are only a handful of Tin Men and they are busy enough restoring order to the cities. I can't keep my people safe."

"We have to keep trying."

"We have no idea who to trust." Orianah insisted. "Anyone of our staff or the guards could be a spy. And undoubtedly, they have relayed that the girls are no longer at Finaqua."

Ahamo came forward and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Our girls are resourceful. And they have friends with them."

Anger rose a bit in the Queen. "Commander Cain should have stopped DG."

"Maybe he tried. Maybe he went after her."

"With Raw? One of them should have woken us."

"It's hard to keep up with DG when she gets a thought in her head. And whatever thought made her leave like that must have been pretty important." Her husband nudged her. "She's stubborn. Like her mother."

Orianah tried to give him a nasty look, but was too sick with worry to pull it off.

"My love," he settled more comfortably on his knees beside her chair. "What's done is done. All we can do is trust that Ambrose and Cain will keep Azkadellia out of trouble and that Jeb and Raw will do the same for DG. They'll come back to us."

Orianah felt her paranoia lessen to a degree. "And in the meantime?"

"We work the problem from our end. We need to move recruit training along at a bit of a quicker pace. And we need to track down this spy."

Orianah smiled. "I think I may have an idea on how to do that."

Ahamo grinned broadly. "I'm all ears."

* * *

"Are you still with us, Princess?"

Yawning, Azkadellia nodded. Cain had shaken her awake as the sky was just lightening, telling her that he had warned her when she wanted to tag along.

She wondered how much sleep the Tin Man had gotten. Ambrose and Cain had fought over who was going to take the first watch. Shockingly, it had been Ambrose that had won when he had told Cain that keeling over on guard duty was not going to keep any of them safe. Grumbling something about a "low blow" the Tin Man had made himself comfortable against the trunk of a tree, draped his duster over his torso, and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

A few hours later, Azkadellia had been awakened by Cain mumbling and thrashing violently in his sleep. Ambrose stood not far off, watching his friend with concern until Cain jerked awake and gave him a dirty look. With a tone that left no room for argument, he declared he was taking the watch. He never woke Azkadellia to have her take over.

She was beginning to wonder what he was running on. She didn't know Cain well, but he seemed paler than when they had started on this journey. He had also been picking at and playing with his food at the campfire. As Azkadellia could recall, she hadn't seen him eat at all the day before. No wonder DG worried about this man constantly.

Ahead, Ambrose had stopped his horse. "I think we have a problem."

Cain glanced at Azkadellia before urging his horse forward. She followed and pulled up beside Ambrose and the Tin Man at the edge of the forest.

In front of them lay the small town of Ruxton, a fairly generic brand of small town that dotted the O.Z.. A grassy lane served as the main street and lining it were a grocer, a livery, and various establishments that served the people of the town and the surrounding farmers. Here and there small houses were interspersed among the businesses.

All were deserted. The stillness was eerie and unnatural. Azkadellia felt a shiver go down her spine as she waited for someone to walk out of the apothecary or a child to run into the lane.

"So you see any signs?" Ambrose asked as he stood in his stirrups to look around.

_Signs of what_? Azkadellia wondered, but Cain seemed to understand. "No, this isn't an artificial intelligence settlement like Milltown. Look." He pointed to the churned earth and the smashed glass from a nearby window. Broken boards and other debris littered the street. "There was a fight of some sort. Looks like the Long Coats have been through."

"I'm still getting a bad vibe." Glitch said.

"Yeah, me too." Cain backed his horse up a few steps. "Let's get out of here."

Suddenly, Ambrose was wrenched from his saddle as Azkadellia felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. With a violent jerk, she was pulled from her horse, the reins biting into her fingers as she tried to hold on. When she hit the ground, strong hands pinned her arms to her back.

As the horses bolted away, she could see Cain and Ambrose were in a situation similar to her own. They were being held by two men apiece. One reached around and slid Cain's revolver from its holster.

Azkadellia's brain worked overtime. These weren't Long Coats. These were civilians, inhabitants of the town. Most were dressed in the garb of craftsmen or farmers, but there were many torn and bloodstained shirts. More were coming from the protection of the bushes, many of them women with empty looks and wild hair. There were a few children that looked lost against the adults that held them close. She put the total headcount at about twenty.

A tall, stocky man with red hair and a long, unkempt beard stepped up to Cain. "State your business."

"Just passing through." The Tin Man said evenly.

"To where?"

"Totten." There was no waiver. Cain had said it as though it were perfectly true.

"Jason," one of the men holding Azkadellia called to the man. He had gray hair and brown eyes. "Take a look at this one."

The man left Cain and started towards her. As he approached his green eyes narrowed and Azkadellia could feel the rage building in him. She had been recognized.

Having never been hit before, she didn't know quite how to take it. She made a mental note to go with the blow next time. As she hit the ground, Azkadellia could taste the blood in her mouth. Cain was yelling and both of her companions struggling against their captors.

"Come to survey your handiwork, have you?" Jason grabbed the back of her shirt as she made it to her hands and knees and hauled her back to her feet. He had a hold on the front of her shirt, his face inches from her's. "You think a little disguise would save you? Sorry, Witch, but I'll never forget your face as long as I live."

He threw her back to her captors and she bit her lip to keep from crying out as their fingers dug deep into her flesh. A feeling of guilt washed over her. How had she wronged this man in her long years of servitude to the Witch?

"Where's your magic?" One of the men whispered mockingly in her ear. "Show us how great and terrible you are."

"I-I can't." It was true. She would not raise a hand against these people.

"Haven't you heard? She's been redeemed." Jason spat. "I never believed that. Never will. Where are they?"

Azkadellia felt herself trembling. "I don't know what you mean."

Jason grabbed her chin roughly and pulled her around to look at him. "I'm not playing games! Where did they take them?"

Azkadellia gritted her teeth. "You have to understand. . ."

"I have to understand?" Jason bellowed. "I do understand ten years in a Moritanium mine. I understand watching my brothers die at your hand. And I understand my son is missing, taken by your Long Coats."

"They're not under my command." Azkadellia replied. "I am on an errand for my mother. . ."

"The great Queen of the O.Z.?" Jason said it with a tone that clearly implied that Orianah was not his favorite person in the world, either. "Who is doing such a wonderful job restoring peace and order to the Realm?"

"It takes time." Cain's voice was still calm. "I know what happened here…"

"You know nothing!" A man yelled from the crowd as one of the captors punched Cain in the stomach to quiet him. "You who serve the Witch!"

Jason was back at Azkadellia again. "Where are they?"

She hung her head. "If I knew, I swear I'd tell you."

He was silent for a few seconds, just hating her. "Then we have no further use for you."

With that he jerked his head towards the town. "It's only right that we show you the same courtesy that you showed my brothers. Public lynching is a favorite of yours, isn't it?"

Azkadellia felt her stomach churn. Gods, she hated those days the most. The sound of the lever being pulled and the floor falling would haunt her until the end of her life. Which seemed to be arriving fairly quickly.

Azkadellia felt the will drain from her body as ropes were found to bind her hands. The men holding her began to drag her down the main street and she hung her head. A victorious cry went up. These people would have revenge, they would have justice.

And perhaps it would be for the best if she just let them. She was guilty. She should have been stronger. Everything that happened was because of her. There had to be more she could have done. There had to be.

She felt herself being lifted and raised her head. The two men holding her were lifting her onto the back of a brown horse. The group had moved beneath a tall old tree and beside her, a young man was swinging a rope. As she watched, he let it fly and it arced gracefully over a low, thick branch. The noose hit her in the shoulder as Jason reached up to grab her. None too gently, he pulled her over so that he could slide the rope around her neck.

She could see Cain and Glitch. Both men were battered and bloodied from their repeated attempts at escape. The Tin Man's revolver was now trained on Ambrose. That and the fact that he could barely stand at this point were the only things keeping him quiet. He stared at her intently, as if he was waiting for her to make her move.

There wouldn't be one.

Jason was talking to the little group. "For every wrong done to the people of O.Z., we find the Witch guilty." His cold, green eyes moved to Ambrose and Cain. "And all those who assist her are guilty as well."

Something snapped in Azkadellia. Guilt by association? More blood on her hands? Cain seemed to realize that she had given up and was once again struggling. Ambrose was shouting that this was an injustice and that they needed to talk.

Two more good people were going to die because of her.

_Stop the killing. . ._

Her senses flared as the light filled her. Everything seemed to slow down as Jason moved to the horse's flank. She saw his arm move as he raised his arm, her the blow fall on the horse's rump and felt the animal lurch beneath her. She was falling.

Her concentration spilt. The rope above her snapped and the ropes that bound her hands loosened and fell away. Azkadellia dropped to a knee and directed her magic towards Cain and Ambrose. The men holding them were knocked back and a glowing orb of protection appeared around them just as Azkadellia threw up one around herself.

For a few seconds, the only sound was the steady hum of Azkadellia's magic. Making sure the shpere was steady and unwavering, she turned her attention to Jason.

The man had stepped back in shock, but was now glaring. "Clever Witch, but you can't keep that up forever."

"I-" Azkadellia drew herself up to her full, regal height and returned his hard look. "Am not a witch. "I am Princess Azkadellia of the House of Gayle and daughter to the Queen Orianah and Ahamo, Lord of the Realm." She paused, feeling a bit of DG in her next words. "And you just might be surprised how long I can keep this up."

"You may get away." Jason seethed. "But I'll find you, I swear it. You'll pay for what you've done."

"I've already paid enough for something that wasn't my fault." Azkadellia replied, feeling herself trembling with rage. "You stand there and preach to me about your pain. I tell you that I know that pain. I understand it in a way that you could never understand mine."

"How dare you-"

"How dare you. I have had to watch a loved one perish." Tears burned behind her eyes as she thought back fifteen annuals ago. "I had to watch my sister's life light taken from her."

The man remained unmoved. "And yet you destroyed the lives of so many others."

"I did not. The Witch that possessed and used me did."

"My life was stolen!" The frustration came out as Jason gestured to the crowd. "And their lives."

"Then why can't you understand that my life was stolen from me?" Azkadellia asked, surprising herself with her unwavering voice. "Maybe you can understand what it is like to be locked away and watch as all that you love and have worked for is destroyed.

"Now imagine that the keys to your prison are just beyond your grasp. You know you can stop it, if you can just get free." Azkadellia looked down. "But you can't. And you watch as everything you hold dear is obliterated."

"But your family has always been so strong," said a pale, brown-haired woman in the crowd. "We believed in the House of Gayle."

"Believe again." Azkadellia said. "It was the light of my family that vanquished the Witch.

"I'll make you a deal." Azkadellia turned back to Jason as she lowered the magic around herself. "Cain and Ambrose go free. You can do as you see fit with me."

"No!" Cain bounced off of the shield that still protected him, for the first time realizing that Azkadellia was keeping him in place as much as protecting him.

"What?" Jason asked in disbelief before the hard edge returned. "You'll just use your magic to save yourself."

"I'm tired of running. And I'm tired of making apologies for something I didn't do. If you think killing me will make it all right again, then draw your knife and let's be done with it."

Azkadellia stood tall. She wasn't afraid anymore. She refused to be. For the first time, she felt truly free of the Witch. She was going to live her life so as to honor her family and lineage with bravery and honor.

Even if it was only for anther ten seconds.

Jason looked at her, appraisingly. "You'd do that for your friends?"

Friends? What an odd concept. She looked at the two men she still held. Ambrose was so close to the barrier that his nose was nearly touching it. She caught and held his gaze as she answered solidly. "Without question."

"I won't raise my knife against you." There was still mistrust, but he backed away.

"Jason," a young man with long brown hair and green eyes called from the crowd. "Someone must pay!"

He didn't look away from Azkadellia. "I won't raise a weapon against someone that would lay down their life for another. It's not possible to be evil and selfless."

Jason's role as leader held and his reasoning was accepted as he backed away. With a gesture from him, the others retreated, some more slowly than others. Cain's revolver was laid beside him in the grass. There were still faces contorted in hate as they left, but leave they did.

"Jason!" Azkadellia called. He was the last to head back towards the bushes. "If he's alive, I'll find your son."

He turned. There was no hope on his face. "I still won't forgive you."

"I didn't ask you to."

The man turned to go, but paused once more. "His name is Brock." And then he was gone.

Azkadellia released Cain and Ambrose and then felt her knees buckle beneath her. The two men were beside her in an instant. "Are you all right?"

She couldn't hide the surprise when she realized it was Ambrose that had asked. "I'm fine. You two look terrible."

"We're tougher than we look." Cain gently grasped her chin and tilted it so he could examine the cut to her mouth. "Just do me a favor from now on, Princess."

"What?"

"Don't offer yourself up to a man with homicidal intentions any more on this trip?" There was a hint of a smile under the irritated façade. "It makes my job a little harder."

"It was very brave," Ambrose added. "I don't know how you did it."

Azkadellia smiled warmly. "I don't know either."


	11. Chapter 11

With a final lurch, Cain's sorrel crested the final hill. Before him loomed what Ahamo had referred to as the 'Heavens Gate'. Cain sat for a moment and tried to determine why the ominous rock formation would be given such a name. Nearly 300 feet high, it was craggy and gray with a foreboding air about it. The ground around it was covered with fist-sized rocks that made even walking to it treacherous. From where he stood, Cain could see a small cave at the monolith's base.

He sighed tiredly. After the morning's brush with the angry villagers of Ruxton, he was feeling drained. _You're getting too old for this, Cain_. He chuckled softly and told himself to cowboy-up. He'd just need a breather after this trip, take some time to work on the family problems, and he'd be fine again.

Funny, that's what he had told himself after the last little cross-country jaunt he had volunteered for.

Behind him, Glitch and Azkadellia stopped. "So here we are." He said.

"Doesn't look very heavenly, does it?" Azkadellia took in the mammoth rock face. "Father said the locals gave it that name because just on the other side is some of the most beautiful country in the O.Z.."

Azkadellia dismounted and tethered her horse to a small tree that was stubbornly clinging to life in the rocky ground. "I don't see anyone."

Cain swung off of his horse. "Stay close."

Together, they picked their way up the incline that led to the base of Heavens Gate. As they went, Cain looked up. They couldn't be more on time. The two suns were spaced evenly across the zenith. The temperature dropped as they entered the monster's shadow.

Quietly, Cain looked into the cave. It was a tunnel actually. He could see the opening on the other side, not a hundred yards away.

He jumped at the hand on his back and growled when he realized it was Glitch. The man ignored him as he peered into the dim light. "Maybe we need to go through."

Cain turned to Azkadellia. "I don't suppose you could-"

She smiled, catching his drift. She held her hand in front of her, palm up. As Cain and Glitch watched, a tiny point of light appeared and floated above her hand.

"Cool." Glitch said appreciatively as the light gained strength.

Azkadellia smiled and came forward. Cain moved into the mouth of the tunnel and wasn't too far in when he noticed the symbols painted on the walls.

Glitch noticed, too. "The language of the Ancients."

"At least there's a connection to this place and our letter writer." Cain said as he looked around. The walls were covered with symbols. "There must be a whole story written here."

Suddenly, he noticed their path was no longer lit. Looking back, he saw Azkadellia still standing at the mouth of the cave, looking apprehensive. "Hey, what's up?"

Azkadellia didn't answer, but her cheek twitched and her hand clenched and unclenched reflexively. Then he got it. If anyone had a right to be afraid of dark enclosed spaces, it was the princess. "Don't worry. It's safe."

She still looked unsure. Cain said evenly. "I promise nothing is going to get you."

"Yeah, c'mon Highness." Glitch called encouragingly. "We won't let anything happen."

It was actually absurd for either of them to say those things. If anything supernatural was going to attack her, neither Cain nor Glitch was going to be able to do anything about it. Azkadellia knew it as well as they did, Cain was sure. Even still, she took a deep breath and followed them.

In the light that she brought, Glitch was able to read the symbols. He translated them haltingly. "The advancing winter was halted by the light that shines forever."

"Actually," Azkadellia pointed out, "it says 'the light undying'."

Cain couldn't help but grin. It was often anyone corrected Glitch on anything.

For his part, Glitch only studied the figures more closely. "So it does. Point for the princess."

"To protect the light undying." Cain repeated. "That's part of the Swearing Oath taken by a Tin Man once he completes the academy."

"It's also part of the Coronation Vow when a Gayle ascends the throne." Azkadellia said as she continued to study the script. "'To protect the Realm with a light undying.' I think that maybe this story has something to do with my family."

Azkadellia was frowning slightly as she continued to look at all of the language. Cain didn't doubt that there was one helluva tale up there. Symbols covered every wall in a twisting, spiraling manner.

Cain let her look just a bit longer before moving them on. "C'mon. Let's see if our mystery writer is on the other side."

Azkadellia followed reluctantly. Only when Cain put a little impatience in his look did she smarten her pace.

Glitch reached the other side of the mountain first. "Whoa."

The cavern opened up on a ledge, at the edge of which the other man now stood. After he had made sure there was no one else on the rock with them, Cain motioned Azkadellia out of the tunnel and joined Glitch to admire the view.

Cain was impressed. Far below them, green tree tops swayed in the breeze, the thick canopy giving way to lush green fields where the blue rivers wound their way through the valleys. To a settler, this had been paradise.

After a minute, Glitch turned to look behind him. "There's no one here."

"Very observant." Cain replied, wryly. "You better start watching your own back, or you're going to get shot."

Glitch ignored him. "I thought someone was going to be here."

"That was what we assumed from the letter." Cain reminded him. "Remember, our author is cryptic. All we can do is guess at his meaning."

"So maybe this wasn't supposed to be a meeting at all." Glitch replied.

"Or maybe we're just in the wrong place."

"No," Azkadellia had sat down on a large boulder, her voice breathy and low. "No, this is the right place."

The two men looked at each other before Cain said, "Talk to us, Princess."

There was uncertainty on her face as she looked at each of them. "Something happened here. I can just feel it. It's like these rocks bore witness to something and they're trying to tell me."

Glitch stepped back towards her. "You mean, residual energy?"

"I think so."

"Woo Hoo!" Glitch danced around in a circle. It had been a while since his synapses had misfired.

Cain wondered how bad this fit was going to be. "What's residual energy?"

"It is," Glitch stopped with a flourish of his hand, "a theory that I have been working on for quite some time. I always wanted to experiment with residual energy and Queen Orianah's magical talent. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance, before-" he cut himself, realizing what he was going to say.

Azkadellia smiled grimly. "Before I had the brain removed from his head."

"That wasn't you." Glitch replied firmly, catching both Azkadellia and Cain off guard. "That was the Witch."

Azkadellia stared at him for a second and Cain wondered if she was going to tell Glitch what she had told him back at the river crossing. By all means, Glitch should know the whole truth, but now was not the time or the place.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she opted not to. Instead, she turned to Cain. "Residual energy is the power left behind after a large magical event. Much of it is dissipated, but some can be absorbed and stored in the environment."

"Or so the theory says." Glitch put in.

"People like me who have magical abilities can sense this energy." Azkadellia continued. "If it's strong enough, we can piece together much of what happened on a particular spot."

"What do you see? Or feel? Or-" Glitch seemed flustered with his excitement. "How do you experience this?"

Azkadellia shook her head. "You just know."

"What are you getting?" Cain asked.

"It was so long ago." Azkadellia was focused on the ground. "There's just shadows, whispers."

"Tell us." Cain said gently.

"It's so cold. I am. . . scared, but not for me. For my friends," Azkadellia closed her eyes. "And he's coming. He's terrible, evil and frigid. I have to do something."

Cain and Glitch both jumped back when an Azkadellia began to omit an ethereal light. She glowed as she continued. "I feel, light. . . life moving through me."

"Princess?" Glitch had ventured back towards her, even as the light grew brighter. "Princess. Azkadellia!"

Her eyes flew open and the light ceased. She looked in confusion at her companions.

Cain stepped back towards her. "Are you all right?"

She didn't answer, a strange look on her face. Then, she stood up and strode back towards the cavern. Giving Glitch a mystified look, Cain followed her.

By the time he had caught up, Azkadellia had conjured her light again and was holding it up to the wall. Wordlessly, Cain looked up as well. There was a large black drawing before them. In it, stood the Heavens Gate and a small, non-descript form, barely more than a stick figure, was holding up a hand. Lines emanated from the palm as if to represent the energy. Roaring over the mountain to descend upon this figure was a frightening form. A monstrously sharp face was framed by a set of talons, cold breath blew from its mouth.

"Dorothy was here. That's whose magic I was feeling." Azkadellia reached up to caress the plain form reverently. "She's fought these monsters before."

"She found her light to push back the winter." Glitch said softly from behind Cain.

Azkadellia turned pale. "We're not dealing with a single Ice Witch here, are we? It's a whole race."

"I think you might be right."

"It's all here!" Glitch had gone to the front of the cavern. "The whole story."

"Give me the condensed version, Glitch." Cain called up the cave.

"The Bringer of the Light," Glitch gestured to Azkadellia, "Dorothy, I guess, met the Ice Witches on this very mountain. Her friends were captured and she stood all alone against an entire army of winter soldiers."

"I can't imagine." Azkadellia shivered.

"It was here that she discovered her magic." Glitch continued. "With a great blast of light, she brought forth the sun and vanquished the enemy."

He stopped and Cain thought he was finished. Azkadellia, however, seemed to know better. "There's more, isn't there?"

Glitch swallowed and said softly. "Dorothy swore that the Ice Witches would never again claim the O.Z.. Not as long as her light existed to protect it."

Azkadellia wilted, leaning back against the wall. Cain put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "What is it? Something else?"

"Dorothy's Light has been missing from the O.Z for fifteen annuals." Azkadellia shut her eyes. "My mother gave her light to save DG and mine was controlled by the Witch. They had their chance and they took it."

Azkadellia opened her eyes, staring past Cain. "She was in league with them. I remember. . . "

What Glitch had said had triggered something. Whether it was just the words or the magic that the old rock was storing affecting Azkadellia, Cain didn't really care. Whatever it was had caused some long-lost memory that the Witch had tried to hide from her to surface. Cain could see that it was hurting her to relive it, but they needed the information. He guided her to a sitting position against the rough wall and crouched down beside her. "Tell me what you see."

"It's dark. The Witch is talking. 'I will hold up my end of the bargain. I cannot control the Eclipse. Stribog will have to wait.'"

"Who's Stribog?" Glitch asked before Cain waved him off.

"What else, Princess?"

"I hear another woman. 'Just remember what will happen should you fail. The Suket cannot wait forever.'" Azkadellia gasped. "I see her. It's the Ice Witch that stole DG's light. She's one of the Suket."

"What is she doing?" Cain asked.

"Leaving. And handing something . . . to Zero." Azkadellia looked at Cain. "A vial, of some sort."

Azkadellia's breath started to come in short, ragged gasps. It was some sort of panic attack. Cain grabbed her by the arm and nodded to Glitch to do the same. Together, they half-carried, half-dragged Azkadellia to the mouth of the cavern. "Hang on, Princess. We'll get you some fresh air."

They settled Azkadellia on the softest ground they could find. Glitch sat cross-legged beside her as she drew her knees up and rested her elbows on them, rubbing her forehead with a hand.

Cain stood near and gave her a few minutes. "How are you doing?"

"I feel like my head is going to explode." She answered, not looking up.

"There's some strong residual magic in there." Glitch said.

"No kidding." Azkadellia finally sat straight. "You know what all this means, don't you?"

"Yeah," Glitch tossed a couple of pebbles. "The Witch was in cahoots with these, whaddya-callems? The Suket."

"Cahoots?" Cain repeated before shaking his head.

"The Suket wanted the darkness." Azkadellia said. "They employed the Witch to get it. Why?"

"Because if Ice Witches are the same as the Suket, they're restricted by their environment, remember?" Glitch told her. "They thrive in harsh, cold climates. If they have to, they can move around in milder climes at night, but they have to find shelter during the day. Exposure to light saps their powers. Eventually, it can lead to a complete loss of magical ability, insanity, and death."

"That explains the Sun Seater." Cain said. "If the O.Z. was covered in darkness, then it would be easier for the Suket to take over."

"I always thought Zero was a little odd." Azkadellia said matter-of-factly.

"You think?" Glitch snorted.

"What are you talking about?" Cain asked.

"He's one of them, Mr. Cain." Azkadellia said. "You know him almost as well as I do. He preferred to travel by night."

Cain knew that. Among the Resistance, Zero had known as 'Nighthawk' or 'Vampire', since his favorite tactic was to attack his targets right before dawn. Cain hadn't given him that much credit, and, much to the amusement of his fellow Resistance fighters had always referred to Zero as 'The Fruit Bat'.

"And he's a nut." Glitch spoke up. "Look at how he obsesses after Cain."

"Thanks, Glitch."

"I wonder what was in that vial." Azkadellia looked thoughtful. "I'll bet it was something to sustain him. To keep him from degenerating too quickly.

"It's a good thought." Cain agreed. "The one thing I don't understand is why the Witch would have wanted to help the Suket. A world covered in darkness couldn't have benefited her any."

"On the contrary, it could have benefited her very much." Azkadellia replied. "Creatures of Dark Magic, like the Witch, feed off of the despair and suffering of other beings. A cold, dark world would have been just the thing for her."

The three digested the conversation. So many pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place, but there were still gaping holes. These were crucial gaps in their knowledge.

"So we know what we're dealing with-" Cain started.

"A colony of evil snow demons bent on covering the world with an eternal winter." Glitch put in.

Cain rolled his eyes. "But we don't know how to stop them or where they are."

"That's a pretty good summary." Azkadellia said. "What do we do now?"

Before Cain could answer, Glitch spoke. "Do you think you could go back in the cave one more time? There was something else I wanted to show you."

It was apparent that Azkadellia found the idea distasteful. "I guess."

Glitch held out a hand and helped her to her feet. "It wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important."

Azkadellia smiled. "I know."

Cain half-smiled and followed the pair back towards the mouth of the cave. As they entered the cavern again, Cain positioned himself behind Azkadellia, just in case the magic in the cave triggered anymore memories.

Not too far in, Glitch pointed towards the floor. "Check it out."

Azkadellia knelt down to study the line of Ancient script that ran along the floor of the cavern. "That is odd, isn't it?"

"What's odd?"

"This line of text. It doesn't fit into the story anywhere." She looked over her shoulder at him. "And it's in a straight line."

"The Ancients revered the circle." Glitch told Cain. "Every example of their writing that I've ever seen is written in the shape of a circle."

"It represents the old belief that stories never end, they simply repeat themselves over time." Azkadellia leaned in closer to look at the text. "This isn't part of the original work. These characters were just painted on here in the last few months."

"What do they say?"

"'Step up to the gate and bid it open'"

Cain looked to each of the scholars. "Well?"

Glitch shrugged and Azkadellia gave him a helpless look. "I don't know."

Crouching down beside Azkadellia, Cain took a look at the mysterious message. With his fingers, he ran his hand along the characters. When he got to the last symbol, the one he figured meant "open", he could feel the rock rose beneath the paint. It was a perfect rectangle to match the symbol, far too perfect to be natural. Taking a deep breath and praying he wasn't about to set off some ancient booby trap, he pressed.

Glitch jumped back and Azkadellia squealed in surprise as a small door popped open above her and Cain, sending a spray of dirt and pebbles down on them.

Glitch coughed. "Good call."

Azkadellia was already peering inside the compartment. It was carved from the rock, but the door was actually wooden, cleverly crafted, painted, and set on slim, nearly invisible hinges to skillfully mimic the rock.

Inside lay a small roll of parchment identical to the one Jeb had first brought to Finaqua. "This guy must be a freakin' genius . . .or a certifiable brain experiment.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: **The response to this story is great. I'm glad you all are enjoying it. I'm having fun writing it, that's for sure. _

_Poor Jeb, that's all I'm gonna say : )_

_As usual, nothing is mine._

* * *

And so went the dreams of a long, illustrious military career.

Jeb berated himself again for his lack of judgment. It had been the princess's comment about letting other people fight while he was sitting pretty in Finaqua that had got him. There had been no more rational thought as he changed his clothes, collected his gear, and followed her to the stable. He was just as tired of sitting around as she was.

But now, after hours in the saddle, Jeb's head was clear again and his thoughts kept tarrying over the list of charges he was wracking up. Disobeying a direct order of the Queen, abandoning a post, absence without leave, failure of duty, and depending on how creative the military tribunal got, possibly kidnapping a member of the royal family. There would be no trial. They would simply lock him up and throw away the key. How would he explain this? "Well, sir, you see, the princess was sleep walking. . ."

And then there was his father. Jeb steered clear of thinking about that.

He could have stopped her. He knew he could have. What in the hell was he doing out here? Silently, he wondered if he was going crazy.

Ahead of him, Princess DG was urging her mount on. Determined was an understatement. By his reckoning, they had left Finaqua in the middle of the night nearly two days before. She had not stopped for food at all on the first day and Jeb had threatened to hog-tie her if they didn't make camp. This had been well after the sun had gone down.

DG had them up again before sunrise and once again had not stopped until sunset. This morning had been the same. He had to give the princess credit. He had no idea where they were going and he seriously doubted that she did either, but by the gods, they were making good time getting there.

They had left the lane before sunrise on that first day, and since then the princess had set a heading roughly northeast. She barely spoke, only answering the rare question that Raw posed to her when the Viewer was able to get close. With DG leading, they had crossed rivers, valleys, and trail-blazed through deep forests. It seemed the determined young princess was unstoppable.

Jeb looked at the forest around him. It was young. The slender silver birches looked as though they were only a half a century old. There was a sparse spattering of underbrush, making it easy for the horses to move in and among the trunks.

DG was in front of him, about as far as he was willing to let her get, when Raw drew up beside him. Without even being asked, he pulled out an apple and offered it to Jeb.

"Thanks." His stomach growled as he took the offered fruit. He nodded towards DG as he bit into the apple. "Any idea why she's in such a hurry?"

The Viewer smiled. "DG knows."

"Wish she'd tell the rest of us." Jeb took another mouthful and muttered. "Hardhead."

Raw's smile grew more knowing. "Like others Jeb has known."

Jeb sent a warning glare at the other man. The contact of Raw passing him the apple had been enough for him to catch a glimpse at Jeb's feelings, he knew. But he wasn't interested in sharing.

As the two had been speaking, the princess had apparently convinced her mount that trotting would be a fun idea. She was moving away quickly heading up a fairly steep incline.

"Hey! Your Highness!" Jeb called. "Don't go running off."

She seemed not to hear him as she disappeared over the crest of the hill.

"DG do that a lot." Raw informed him.

"Great." Jeb clucked to his horse who jumped forward obediently. The bay cantered up the hill, moving quickly among the trees. Jeb could hear Raw following close behind.

When they reached the top, Jeb could see the princess sliding from her saddle. In front of her was a small, dilapidated building. It was gray and depressed with a sagging porch and broken and dark glass windows. Even still, the princess was barely able to tether Speedy to a low tree branch since she was so taken with the ramshackle building. "I know this place."

Jeb and Raw had made it to the front of the house as well. Both dismounted and Jeb went to the princess. "Your Highness, it's just an old shack. There's hundreds of places like this all over the O.Z.."

"Not like this one." She replied softly. "I saw it in my dream. And I remember it from the Grey Gayle."

"Sacred ground." Raw had joined them.

"It's just an old house." Jeb insisted. "Is this what we've been riding hell-bent-for-leather for?"

DG didn't answer. Instead, she strode forward purposefully. Jeb moved to stop her and Raw followed. It was then that the ground went out from beneath them all with a series of loud cracks. All of the sudden, he was aware that they were all falling amongst branches and leaves that had been used to disguise the pit.

He landed hard in the dirt on his back, debris falling on top of him. The air was crushed from his body when the princess landed on top of him. "Those are my lungs, Your Highness."

"Sorry," was the sheepish reply as she elbowed him again on her way back to her feet. Ignoring protocol, he gave her a dirty look as he disregarded her helping hand and got up under his own power.

Raw was standing beside them and was dusting himself off. "Trap."

"No kidding." Jeb allowed himself the momentary weakness of being outwardly surly. They were all lucky the pit was shallow. The princess's bad habit of charging in headfirst was going to get them killed. "Probably for catching small game."

"No." The ground was speaking to the Viewer. "For trespassers."

"Wonderful." Jeb muttered as he looked up. The pit was only about eight feet deep and maybe ten wide. "Raw, if you give me a boost, I can climb out of here. Then I can help you and the royal pain . . .highness out."

The princess crossed her arms. "I said I was sorry, okay?"

Jeb ignored her as he went to Raw who interlaced his fingers and widened his stance. Jeb placed his foot in Raw's hands and with a mighty heave, the Viewer practically tossed him out of the hole. Jeb dug in with his elbows as DG and Raw pushed on his legs. Without much effort, he was able to roll himself over and out.

On his stomach, he reached back into the hole. "All right, Your Highness. You're next."

With a boost from Raw, DG was able to grasp Jeb's hand and pull herself up. Immediately, she turned and knelt down, extending her arms to her friend still in the pit. "C'mon, Raw."

Jeb was surprised by how strong she was. Between them, they were able to haul the Viewer out of the pit. With a final heave, they rolled Raw out and then sat among the leaves to catch their breath. While he rested, Jeb's keen eyes picked out two more pits, cleverly camouflaged and pointed them out. "Why protect this place?"

"Suppose there's only one way to find out." DG jumped to her feet and moved to the rickety wooden stairs that ascended the porch. They groaned dangerously beneath her feet, but held as she crossed the porch and opened the door.

"Princess," Jeb had been up and after her almost immediately, "would you please just stop running-"

He stopped short just behind her where she still held onto the doorknob, taking in the unbelievable scene before them. From the outside, the house had looked condemned and dark. Inside, there was a warm glow of lights from lanterns and a small fire in the grate.

It was like stepping into the history museum in Central City, which Jeb had only been to once before in his life. Velvet ropes and brass stands cordoned off a small bed made neatly with a patchwork quilt and a sparse kitchen complete with a wood cook stove.

On the walls were paintings. DG was examining the first right beside them. It was of a young girl in a blue-checked dress holding a small dog and a basket. She was surrounded by members of the Eastern Guild. Their heads barely came to her waist.

Slowly, DG ran her hand over the brass plate on the frame. It read _The Good Witch of Kansas_.

"Where's Kansas?" Jeb asked, studying the portrait himself.

"The other side. It's where I'm from . . .or I guess it's where my mother sent me to be raised." She smiled softly. "I guess it makes sense that she's from there, too."

"You know her?"

"So do you." She turned to him. "That's Dorothy Gayle. My great-great grandmother and the first Queen of the O.Z."

Jeb's eyes darted back to the painting. He had seen renderings of the great Slipper who saved the O.Z., but always she had been portrayed as tall and regal, much like Orianah. The girl in this painting seemed small and meek, barely able to take care of herself let alone save an entire world.

As Jeb continued to look, DG moved more to the interior of the house. Raw followed her and Jeb turned to look at him when the Viewer chuckled. He was standing near a large and well-detailed bust of Dorothy. "DG look like great-grandmother."

The princess made a face. "I don't see it."

Jeb did. He moved closer. The bust possessed the princess's wide eyes and pert nose. The sculpture was flawless in its depiction of the young woman and extremely meticulous. He could make out the individual hairs of the ponytails that were brushed forward over the girl's shoulders. The artist had been very devoted to the work.

There was a loud thump behind them and instinctively, Jeb put himself between the possible threat and the princess. It was coming from the small back room near the fireplace. He was able to discern the shuffle of feet as the noise came again.

In the doorway, leaning on a cane, was the oldest woman Jeb could ever recall seeing. She was stooped and bent, leaving the hem of her faded pink dress, which Jeb was sure would have only hung to her knees, brushing the tops of her tattered old house slippers. Her white hair was pulled back into a severe bun, but stray, coarse strands had broken free, causing a frizzy, cloud-like halo around her head.

She studied them through thick glasses as she adjusted her shawl around her shoulders. "Ahh, visitors! Welcome, welcome!"

Her voice was high and scratchy, as though it hadn't been used for a while. "You would like a tour, I'm sure."

"A-a tour?" DG asked.

"Well, of course." She tottered forward and grabbed Jeb by the elbow, leading him back towards the first painting. "One does not travel all the way to the Gayle Museum of Art and History and not take the tour."

"The what?" Jeb asked.

The old woman stopped and blinked at him rapidly, her blue eyes magnified behind the spectacles. "Why, the Gayle Museum of Art and History, dear boy."

Jeb looked around. "This is a museum? Kinda off the beaten path, isn't it?"

The old woman bristled and straightened a bit. He quietly thanked the gods that her brittle spine didn't shatter. "I didn't ask Dorothy to drop her house here, young man, now if you like-"

"We," DG broke in before the old lady told Jeb exactly what he could do, "would love a tour."

Immediately, the anger was gone. "Oh, my dears, are you in for a real treat! I do so love sharing information with bona-fide Dorothy-philes and I can see that you are just that."

"Guess you could say that." The princess mumbled under her breath. Jeb smirked slightly at the comment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gayle Museum of History and Art. Our mission is to preserve the precious history of the House of Gayle through whatever mediums we can. Writings from that time period are scarce, so we rely heavily on artifacts from the world of art."

Jeb wondered briefly who "we" was. The old lady seemed to live by herself and clearly it was affecting her.

"I would ask that you hold all questions until the end of the presentation and please visit our gift shop at the conclusion."

Yup, she was definitely batty. He must have been making a face because the princess gave him a chiding look. He found this particularly unfair since she was clearly trying hard not to laugh herself.

"Before the coming of Dorothy", the old lady was saying, "the written language that we know today as "English" did not exist. Nor did paper or books. These were great gifts that the good Queen bestowed upon the O.Z.. Those we commonly refer to as "The Ancients" used a picture language to record important events, mainly on cave walls."

"Pardon me," DG interrupted, "but if no one spoke English, how did Dorothy communicate with the people she met here?"

The old woman sniffed. "I asked you to hold your questions."

"Sorry." The princess replied sheepishly.

"But to answer the question, a great many people of the O.Z. spoke this language she called "English". This bolsters the theory that long ago, the Outer Zone and that which we call "the Other Side" were a part of the same dimension.

"The ability to record our own histories so thoroughly was a great gift to the O.Z.." The little woman turned sad. "But, unfortunately, it was not developed quickly enough to record Dorothy's great adventures. Only bits and fragments of her own writing and those closest to her remains. But oral tales of her life had inspired many an artist to take up the brush and canvas."

She raised her hand to indicate the first painting that DG and Jeb had studied. "We begin with this piece. The unknown artist captures the little known legend of how Dorothy first arrived in the Outer Zone right here on this very spot."

"That doesn't make sense." Jeb pointed to the painting. "This shows the house in the middle of some Eastern Guild city. First of all, the Guilds build their villages in trees and second, there is no city out there now."

"Such a rowdy bunch!" The old lady burst out. "Young man, I will have you know that the people of the Eastern Guilds have not always lived among the trees, bows and spears close at hand. Necessity drove them to the trees! Once this valley was filled with a beautiful city, but circumstances drove the little people from this place and reverted them back to the ways of their ancestors."

She moved to the window, her voice bitter. "Forced to protect what they perceived as a shrine to the House of Gayle with nothing more than a few shallow pits before they were driven from their homes. Even when Dorothy returned and vanquished the Great Evil that had grown in her absence, they still refused to return. They vowed that never again would they grow complacent and lose so many. I can't blame them under the circumstances."

What was she talking about? Jeb looked to the princess who merely shrugged in confusion before asking quietly. "What circumstances?"

The old lady thumped her cane on the floor before turning around and scowling.

Raw smiled. "Would like you to hold questions."

DG gave him a dirty look before motioning to the old lady. "Please, continue."

"Thank you." The guide took a deep breath. "Now the coming of Dorothy was a blessing, but unexpected event for her. According to what literature we have, she describes her house being caught in the teeth of a terrible storm. It was the very house that we stand in that was carried to the O.Z.."

DG took in the structure before whispering to Raw, "Fared better than mine did."

"Fortunately for the people of the Eastern Guild, her aim was true and her house fell upon the vile Witch of the East."

"It fell on her?" DG asked in disbelief.

Apparently, this question was allowable since it was spoken with such awe. "Yes, it did. And young Dorothy was made an honorary member of the Eastern Guilds."

She moved to the next portrait, which Jeb studied with interest. It was of the same girl, same dog, even the same basket. Dorothy was peering intently at a scarecrow in the center of a field of corn.

"Though Dorothy was glad to be of service, she was anxious to return home. Knowing that the Witch of the East's evil sister, the Witch of the West would seek vengeance upon the girl, the Witch of the North set Dorothy on the path to the City of Emeralds, to consult the great wizard who resided there."

Jeb felt like he was going to need a compass to keep this story straight. North, East, West.

He had heard the Legend of the Emerald City and Dorothy's Journey before. It was a children's bedtime story and the quest of mad adventurers looking for fortune and glory.

"According to legend, before the girl left, the Witch of the North gifted Dorothy with the Witch of the East's magical silver slippers to protect her on her journey. Those that follow in Dorothy's footsteps still quest to find this most precious gift, for it is said that they remain in the Emerald City to this day."

"It looks like the Old Road." DG pointed to the path beneath Dorothy's feet.

"The Brick Route?" Jeb interrupted again. "But that just leads to Central City."

With a small, knowing smile the old lady shook her head. "Not the Brick Road that leads from this house. This is the original. The one you know as the Brick Route to Central City was Dorothy's tribute to the road along which she learned so much."

"The path to the future lies in the past." DG was out the door in a flash Raw behind her.

"Damn it." Jeb ground out between his teeth before remembering his manners. He chanced a quick look at the old lady's brass name tag. "Excuse me, Glinda. We'll be right back."

As he jumped down the steps, the princess was on her knees shuffling around.

"Look, either you stop running away, or I swear I will drag you back to Finaqua. Are you hearing me, Princess?"

"Jeb, look."

Knowing that his threat had fallen on deaf ears, he walked over. Sure enough, beneath her feet were a few faded yellow bricks. There were some missing, but there was definitely a path.

Quickly, DG began to dance around scattering the leaf litter from the path, building up speed as she circled once around them. Jeb let his head fall back and he looked up to the heavens for guidance. Eh, maybe the princess would be the death of him and he wouldn't have to go back and face a tribunal . . . or his father.

"C'mon!" She was near a thicket now. Long vines grew up and between the trees. Resigning himself to the adventure he knew she would want to take, he marched over and began helping her to tear the ivy down.

Even he was impressed when they managed to clear it. The brick road stretched out before them, the boughs of the tall, stately, silver trees arcing over it. It beckoned them, begging to be followed. Even Jeb had to admit that.

"I'm supposed to follow it." DG said, matter-of-factly.

"How did I know you were going to say that?"

"If that old lady is right, the answer to all of our problems may be at the end of this road. What if those magical silver slippers were the source of Dorothy's magical ability? What if that gift is actually the source of the magic of the House of Gayle?"

Jeb cocked an eyebrow. "You think a gift handed down for generations through your foremothers came from some fancy footwear?"

"I saw Dorothy at my family's crypt. She was wearing silver shoes. " DG replied. "What if they are magical? Maybe, I can use them to get my light back and fight whatever bogeyman is about to come down on the O.Z."

"I'm not gonna argue with you, Princess."

"Oh, good. Progress."

"I just want to point out that the source of our information might be a little sketchy." He gestured back towards the cabin and stopped short. "Where is it?"

There was nothing. No little house, no foundation, no evidence whatsoever that anything had ever stood there. Jeb ran back to the source of the brick path. He found himself looking into a tall Spicebush. "What in the-"

DG was beside him again. "I'm starting to think she isn't as sketchy as you want to believe. Our old-lady friend was pointing the way."

"This has got to be a dream."

"If this is a dream, which one of us is having it?" DG smiled. "This is what we're supposed to do, Jeb. Are you getting it? Whether I'm right or wrong, we're supposed to follow that path."

He just prayed they weren't following it into the teeth of a trap. "I guess there's nothing else to do but follow the yellow brick road."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: **__I know I thanked you all last chapter for the response, but I really have to again. This story has had over 4,000 hits and I am honestly speechless. Thanks to all of you a thousand times over. Humble bow to fantastic readers Wow!_

_P.S- That doesn't mean I won't take reviews though wink,wink _

* * *

A cheer went up among the men as Zero rode into the Long Coat camp. They had been reduced to road vandals, he noted. The once proud uniforms were torn and patched. Dirty faces looked up at him as they raised their guns and shook them. But in those faces, he saw awe for him. His escape from the Incarceration Tower and the subsequent victories by the rebel Long Coat force under his orders were making him legend.

_Fools_. Zero repressed a knowing, cruel grin as he rode through the throngs. They were working towards their own destruction as a civilization and didn't even know it. Why was it that humans constantly worked against each other? The Suket were constantly striving for the same goals. They were of one mind and he was proud to be part of that great race. His small sacrifices, the loss of his own magical powers, the pain he had endured beneath those blasted twin suns, were nothing. He would reap the rewards of his loyalty.

Stribog would be doing these miserable creatures a service when he annihilated most of them and brought the rest under Suketian law.

The horse stopped in the center of the camp. As Zero dismounted, a tall, broad man with a bald head approached. Zero greeted him. "Rawson."

"It's good to see you, old friend."

Zero smiled at his words. Like they were friends. Like they were brothers united against a Queen that would surely punish them for their treason. He revealed nothing of his higher purpose. He simply accepted the man's hand, the silly gesture of good faith. "What news have you?"

"Good news." Rawson looked over his shoulder and bellowed. "Bring him!"

From behind the tents came two Long Coats holding a third man between them. He was young, with stringy brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He wore the clothes of a peasant farmer, but they were torn and extremely dirty.

They brought him forward and stopped in front of Zero. Rawson stared intently at him. "Repeat what you told me."

The man's green eyes were dead as he stared at Zero. "You look for the Witch."

"I do."

"South. Towards Rigmar." The man stated flatly.

"You are sure of this?"

"I am. She stumbled through what was left of our village with her companions. I followed them to Heavens Gate and watched as they headed northeast towards the city."

"He was captured returning from this little venture, presumably." Rawson put in.

Zero loved this. Watching the little mice turn on each other. "Your village was taken by Long Coats?"

The man unclenched his jaw to speak. "Yes."

"And yet to save your own hide, you turned over your princess to the enemy."

There was fire no in those eyes. "She is not my princess. I will never live under her rule."

"No, you won't." Zero said softly.

"I like the justice of it." The man said, swallowing as he tried to keep the brave face. "The Witch dying at the hands of the evil she created."

"It does have a nice symmetry to it." Zero smiled before turning to Rawson. "Let him go."

The shock was evident on Rawson's face. "But sir-"

"Let him go." Zero said calmly. "He's done us a favor."

The Long Coats released the man who gave Zero a disbelieving look before hurrying to the cover of the woods. Zero watched him go. There was no need to kill that one yet.

He had signed his own death warrant.

* * *

"Wait, tell me the part about the Cowardly Lion again."

"Princess," Jeb was almost whining. Almost. "I've told you six times."

"I'm just trying to comprehend all this." DG replied with a smile. "What you have to understand is that where I come from, we don't typically go walking around with scarecrows, and lions and men made out of tin."

"Well, believe it or not, it isn't something we do in the O.Z. either. It's a story. A legend. Don't you have legends on the other side?"

"Sure," DG shrugged. "We've got one about a big hairy ape-man that everyone calls 'Sasquatch'."

She intentionally used that term instead of 'Bigfoot'. She wondered if Jeb would get his lips around it.

He did. "And do you believe that 'Sasquatch' is real?"

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't."

Jeb made an exasperated noise that had DG smiling. She was finding out quickly that harassing Jeb was as fun as having a go at his father. It was simple to get to either one of them, but the younger Cain was just a little bit easier to get wound up. The older one would just give her enough rein to let her play herself out and give up. She supposed that was just life experience making him wiser.

But she could probably keep Jeb going all day.

For the moment, she decided to give it a break. She really did want Jeb to go into more detail about the bedtime story his mother had used to tell him. He had told her that he had heard of the City of Emeralds before and after that, she had pressed him for the rest of what he knew. If Dorothy's magic Silver Slippers were the answer to her problem at the end of this road, she wanted to know everything about them and how Dorothy had used them.

Jeb had outlined a fantastic tale in which her great-great-grandmother had traveled the Brick Road in the company of an animated scarecrow, a lion with no courage, and a man made out of tin. She had inquired if the last companion was where the Central City Police Force had adopted their moniker. He had shrugged and said he supposed so.

She pulled Speedy to a stop and reached around for her canteen, taking in the surroundings. Beside her was the sorriest looking cornfield she could ever remember seeing. The stalks were short and sparse, their green leaves already turning brown. There were rows, but they were crooked and unkempt. Weeds were beginning to invade between the plants, reclaiming the land that was no longer being used to grow food. "Seems a waste, doesn't it?"

"It might belong to some little old farmer who grows just enough to support himself and his family." Jeb was looking now, too, taking in the irrigation ditches that were so dry they had obviously not been used all season. "It is kind of a shame, though. This is some of the most fertile land in the province."

The dry, unused field stretched over the next hill and out of sight. It also ran for quite a ways in front of them behind the split rail fence they were riding along. DG had grown up on a farm and was well aware of the amount of food a field like this could yield when tended properly. A lot of hungry people in Central City could be fed.

Ahead, Raw pulled his horse to a stop. "DG, which way?"

"What do you mean 'which way'?" She had thought this a straight shot. There shouldn't be any turns. She nudged Speedy with her heels until he pulled even with her friend's horse. "Great."

They were at a crossroads. Straight ahead, the road led into the forest. If they took a right, they would be taken through a large river valley. To the left the road traversed the cornfield and disappeared into a wooded area a couple of spans off.

Jeb had stopped as well. "I don't suppose your subconscious comes with a road map."

"You're very funny." Truth be told, she hadn't had the dream about the weather vane since before finding Dorothy's house. She hadn't thought too much of it. To her mind it just meant they were on the right track. Now, it seemed like a problem. "Let's just think about this intelligently-"

DG cut short as a large black crow landed on the split rail fence beside her. The closeness of his wings even made Speedy prick his ears. The creature stared intently at DG with near-human intelligence behind his dark eyes. She opened her mouth to talk to Jeb again when a second bird joined the first.

When she quirked an eyebrow at Raw, her friend merely shrugged. She looked to the birds again. "O-kay."

A third bird joined the pair and simultaneously, the creatures leaned forward as though presenting themselves to the Princess of the O.Z. For a few seconds, she sat speechless, but then did the only thing she could think to do; she inclined her head slightly, acknowledging the gesture.

The crows danced on the rail, cawing and rustling their feathers. DG grinned as they leapt into the air and spread their wings.

Jeb watched them fly in circles around them. "You sure made their day."

The birds kept shooting around until one came back to the fence to stare at her again. Then, he hopped up and down the rail, cawing and looking back at her.

"Wants DG to follow." Raw observed.

"No way." Jeb had set his jaw in fashion redolent of his father. "We don't have time to be chasing birds all over the O.Z.."

"So you know which way to go?" His scowl was her answer. "These birds are here for a reason. Maybe they'll help us figure out where we need to go."

And with that she started Speedy off of the road. The horse hopped ponderously over a downed section of the split rail fence and began to amble out through the barren field. She smiled when she heard Jeb grumble and start to follow.

The horses moved down the hill as the crows flew in front, dancing on the breeze and looking back occasionally as if to make certain DG was still behind them. They flew to a dead-looking old tree at the top of the next rise and perched amid the lower branches, crying plaintively at the group.

Speedy began to trot a little as he moved up the incline but Jeb's bay cantered past, undoubtedly at his urging. If they were riding into trouble, there was no way he was letting the princess go first.

Just before they reached the summit, a loud cry of "Fire!" made them all duck down. Jeb got to the top first and halted his mount. "What in the name of the two suns?"

Below was a large valley with a beautiful lake with a small island at its center. From it, running down the midline of this valley was a large, ugly wooden wall at least thirty feet tall with sharp looking wire running along the top.

In front of this sat what DG could only describe as catapults, for lack of a better word. There were half a dozen of them and the contraptions had the basic look of a catapult, but they were clumsily made. One sat lopsided on its wheels and another looked as though the fulcrum had repaired in at least three different places.

A crew of people was associated with each apparatus. Two men were loading each of the devices, while three or four children were handing them. . .

"Pumpkins?" DG asked incredulously. As they watched, two men near the center of the line loaded a pumpkin on their device and hauled on the lever with a cry of "Fire!" The catapult jumped and groaned sending the missile spinning. The round orange fruit cleared the fence by mere inches.

The attack was answered by a strange sound. It was almost like a cannon being fired and all at once, two more pumpkins came flying back from the other side of the fence, one of them clipping the wire. The missiles landed harmlessly in front of the catapult line.

"We need more ammunition!" Came the cry up the hill. As they all watched, six or seven of the children broke away from the catapults and ran towards the hill. When DG looked where they were going, she gasped.

Below them on the hillside was a large patch of the most gloriously round pumpkins she had ever seen in her life. In her art classes, she had learned that the sphere was the perfect shape. These pumpkins were the best example of the symmetry she had ever seen in nature.

The children gathered what they could, either one or two pumpkins depending on what they could carry, and then raced back to the line where they were immediately relieved of their burdens and sent back for more.

DG looked quizzically at Raw before turning to the small town they lay half a span behind the fence. It was a modest village composed of small homes with thatched roofs and simple plank walls. Many of the little houses had holes either in the roofs or the walls where a lucky pumpkin had caused a bit of damage. Here and there, there were signs that some repairs had been attempted, but abandoned when a fresh attack simply caused more harm.

She looked back towards the still raging battle and saw a similar kind of town with similar roof-holes not far on the other side of the fence. Apparently, the two neighboring communities were having a disagreement and found themselves a rather original way of settling it.

Her attention was drawn back to the town below her. Pigs and chickens ran loose in the narrow dirt streets, rooting and pecking at the rotting remains of pumpkin that lay scattered about. People, however, were noticeably absent, something she was grateful for when a pumpkin-bomb provided a new skylight for a home on the outskirts of the town.

"What are they doing?" Jeb asked.

"I couldn't tell you." Raw plucked at the sleeve of DG's coat and pointed. She followed his finger with her eyes to a small copse of trees that stood on the edge of the expansive pumpkin patch. She could just make out figures moving among the trunks. "Maybe there are some sane people up there."

"I wouldn't count on it." Jeb replied. "I'm willing to bet everyone here is hitting the Vapors."

"Cynic." DG said. "Come on. You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious."

Jeb rolled his blue eyes. DG grinned. "Thought so."

Without further comment, Jeb pulled his horse around and began along the perimeter of the field. "They'll probably flay us if we ruin their pumpkins."

The sound of cannon fire and the cries from the battle continued as they rode up the hill. The grove wasn't far and as they drew closer, DG could see that the trees bore pears and the people, mainly women and children, were gathering the fruit. All were dressed in the same tattered, patched, and worn clothing of linen and buckskin. Boys and girls were collecting what fruit had fallen to the ground while the adults were perched on wooden ladders grabbing whatever was within reach and placing it in their aprons or baskets.

As they rode up, a young girl of about eight annuals with straw-colored hair tugged on her mother's skirts. Her blue eyes never left the new arrivals.

"Maddy, what is it?" The woman straightened up from where she seemed to be sorting pears and smoothed back her own blonde hair to the bun at the nape of her neck. She was thin and tired-looking, but kind nonetheless. "Can I help you folks?"

Her smile was normal and friendly, which struck DG as odd given what was happening in the valley below. The three dismounted and Jeb nodded respectfully. "I hope so, ma'am. We seem to be lost. I don't suppose you could tell us a bit about where that road goes when it reaches the crossroads."

She looked to where he pointed. "I'm sorry, no. I've not been out of this valley in ten annuals. Life keeps me too busy to go exploring." She held out a hand. "I'm Ruth of Fielder. It's a pleasure to meet you."

DG knew it pained Jeb to do it, but he introduced himself, shaking her hand. "Jeb, ma'am. And the pleasure is mine. This is Raw." He motioned to the Viewer as Raw and DG came up. "And DG."

"Hi." DG shook her hand as well. Luckily, the name seemed to mean nothing to Ruth.

"So nice to meet you, dear. You may want to duck." And with that, she put a hand on DG's shoulder and pushed her towards the ground.

A second later, a pumpkin sailed overhead. Jeb and Raw hit the dirt as the missile touched down and rolled unevenly through the brush. As soon as it stopped, the workers resumed their gathering. A few noticed the visitors and welcomed them with a friendly wave or nod as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

DG, Jeb, and Raw were more reluctant to rise. "It's all right," Ruth said doggedly, "The Crowleys only manage to get a hit this far up once or twice. They'll be knocking off for the day soon."

"Who are the Crowleys?" Jeb asked.

"Folks in the neighboring town." Ruth pointed to the broken homes on the other side of the wall. "The name of the town is Crowley. It's just how we refer to the people who live there."

Just then, a small boy younger than the girl Ruth called "Maddy", and closely resembling her, ran from the innards of the grove carrying the most lopsided and deformed pumpkin DG had ever seen. Apparently, it had not exploded on impact.

"You lily-livered, good-for-nothing Crowleys! Can't even grow a decent Launching Pumpkin!" The little boy flung the misshapen fruit down the hill. "You wait til I'm old enough, you stinkin', no good-"

"Thad!" Ruth cut him off. "I hear enough of that from your father every night. I don't need it from you all day long. We have visitors, so mind your manners."

The little boy turned to investigate, having not noticed the strangers in his passionate desire to give the Crowleys what for. He ran back and stood in front of Jeb, staring up at him.

"Did you come to help us fight?" His eyes lit on the rifle tucked in its scabbard behind Jeb's saddle. "Are you gonna shoot 'em?"

"Thad!"

Jeb caught the boy's eye. "That gun is for hunting game, not killing people."

It seemed as though Crowleys were no better than animals in Thad's mind. "Well, you should fight 'em."

"I don't get it." DG said to Ruth. "Are they that terrible?"

"No," the other woman shook her head, "they aren't."

"Then why fighting?" Raw asked.

"Because we're Fielders." Thad puffed out his chest, convinced that this was a sufficient answer. "And we Fielders fight the Crowleys."

DG looked from the boy to his mother. "There has to be better ways to spend their time. You know, like farming?"

"I do know." Ruth gestured to the trees. "That's why we're here. Preserved pears have gotten us through many a cold winter. Our husbands spend so much time fighting that our crops are neglected. We who don't fight do what we can with crude stone tools, but they aren't enough to work all of the land that we own. It's hard just to get enough food for the winter."

"Daddy can't tend to _corn_," Thad spat the word. "He has to tend the Launching Pumpkins." He turned to DG, Raw, and Jeb, "The rounder they are, the better they fly. Crowleys may have big, shining pumpkin guns, but they can't grow decent Launching Pumpkins. "

"Son," Ruth was obviously done dealing with her spirited Crowley-hating offspring. "Ms. Mabel is going to be wondering where you are. Aren't you supposed to be helping her?"

Thad looked crestfallen. "Yes, ma'am." Head down, he turned and headed back into the grove, kicking at a stray pear as he went.

"That's the noise we kept hearing on the way up here." Jeb whispered in DG's ear. "The Fielders are using simple catapults but the Crowleys must have a gun of some sort."

DG nodded in agreement as Raw crouched down. He smiled and waved at Maddy. The young girl's apprehensive look turned to a timid smile and she went to him, petting the fur that covered the man's shoulder.

"Is it like this every day?" DG asked.

"Not every day. But it's becoming a more frequent occurrence." Ruth looked a bit wistful. "When I first married Ernest and he brought me here, these little skirmishes would erupt once, maybe twice a month at the most. Now, it's more like once or twice a week."

"Wait," DG and Jeb exchanged an apprehensive glance before she continued. "You said you've been here ten annuals. This craziness has been going on that long?"

Another, older woman caught a piece of the conversation. "Oh, much longer than that, my child. No one lives that remembers the wall being built. It's been nearly fifty annuals."

"Fifty annuals?" DG repeated as Jeb said, "You have got to be kidding."

"I'm afraid we're not." Ruth said. Others had stepped closer to listen in on the conversation.

"There has to be more to it than you live in one town the Crowleys live in the other." Jeb said.

"Oh, there is, son." The old woman spoke up again. "Once, the people of Fielder and Crowley were good, peaceful neighbors. Every year, they would together for the Festival of the Fall Harvest. The biggest event was the Pumpkin Launching competition."

Ruth nodded. "Fielder farmers are famed for their growing talents. Mostly, for our beautiful pumpkins. Most of the residents of Crowley are descended from metal workers and craftsmen. The build extraordinary cannons. Every year, the two towns would come together and decide if powerful cannons or round pumpkins were the most important factor in how far a pumpkin flew.

A bent old man intervened. "But that was before the Crowleys burnt down the barn."

"What barn?" DG asked.

"The barn where we Fielders were storing our very best pumpkins for the festival that year. Jealous, they was!" The old man said bitterly. "All this talk up here among you women about silly feudin', how you're husbands are being ridiculous. You just don't understand!"

"Understand what, Clive?" Ruth asked in a way that told them she already knew the answer. "After the barn fire, a bunch of Fielder's men retaliated by destroying some of the launchers constructed by the Crowleys. It wasn't too long after that the Crowleys built the wall and both sides began lobbing pumpkins over it."

The old man stood a bit straighter. "That it is our duty to protect our honor. Why if I was a couple of annuals younger. . ."

DG jumped a bit as Raw put a hand on her shoulder and began to whisper in her ear. She cocked her head a bit and listened, barely able to believe what her friend was telling her. When he finished, DG gave him a dubious look. "You're kidding, right?"

The Viewer smiled sadly. "No. Not kidding."

"What?" Jeb asked.

DG pursed her lips but spoke to Ruth instead. "What if I told you this was all a big misunderstanding?"

There was murmur among the assembled workers. Clive spoke up. "Fighting Crowleys ain't no mistake, girl."

"A misunderstanding?" Ruth repeated. "Fifty annuals of mutual hatred?"

"It may sound hard to believe." DG put a hand on Raw's shoulder. "My friend is a Viewer."

"Yes," Ruth said, "His kind pass through occasionally. I know of their abilities to read people's futures."

"Raw sees what is in heart. Past, present, and future." The Viewer explained gently.

"He can show you all what really happened. How this all started." DG sighed. "Why it needs to stop."

Ruth looked dimly hopeful. "It would be nice to be able to fix the holes in my roof without worrying about more tomorrow."

"Listen to yourself, woman." Clive looked mutinous. "You know damned well that there ain't one of them Crowleys over there worth more than a copper chip."

"I know nothing of the sort," Ruth shot back, hotly. "Ann lives in Crowley and she is my friend."

The old man looked scandalized, but fell silent. DG asked, "You know someone in Crowley?"

"Yes," Ruth blocked out a few more shocked whispers from her fellow Fielders. "Ann was a good friend of mine before she married a man named Albert from Crowley. As far as I'm concerned, she's still a good friend. And a fine canner when it comes to peaches."

The woman smiled mischievously at Jeb and DG's confused looks. "There are peach trees on the other side of the valley. Ann and I meet every once in a while, in secret to exchange canned goods."

"Could you talk to her today?" DG asked. Slowly, a plan was hatching.

"If I hurry, I suppose." Ruth looked down the hill. The launching was still in full-swing. "They should be at it another hour or so."

"Great. This is going to take a lot of cooperation on both sides."

"DG." Jeb put a hand on her arm. "I don't think you realize how hard this is going to be. As long as these guys have ammunition, they aren't going to be interested in talking this thing through."

"Well, Jeb," DG put a hand on his shoulder and smirked, "it is terribly clever of you to figure that out. You're already one step ahead of the game."

The young man's eyes narrowed as Raw patted him on the back. "Jeb not worry. DG has good plan."

This was not at all comforting.

_**A/N: **__I freakin' love pumpkin launchers. That's the only excuse I have for this particular plot twist. "Hail to the mighty pumpkin, baby!"_


	14. Chapter 14

The city of Rigmar was a town caught in limbo. Before the Witch had come to power, it had been transitioning from a settlement town to a more sophisticated small city. After Queen Orianah's capture, the influx of funds had ceased. Rigmar was left hanging. Since it was southwest of Central City and very little consequence where the Witch was concerned, Rigmar was left to the wolves. The a lot of the good people were driven out and were replaced with criminals escaping the law.

Buildings, half finished, that had been intended for museums and libraries were converted to cat houses and shady dealers. Even as he looked on, Cain's trained eyes spotted Vapor dealers making sales right on the street. He had to fight down the cop-response and focus on the task at hand.

It was to this dump that the letter left at Heavens Gate had led them. Cain felt himself growing warier as they moved down the sidewalk. He didn't like this. It was feeling more and more like a trap.

And whatever was eating him was getting worse. He swallowed the coughing fit that threatened to erupt. The ride down from Heavens Gate had done nothing for his head. Consciously, he tried to bring his dulling senses back to life. _Sharp eyes, sharp ears, _he ordered himself, but he felt like he was walking around in a fog.

Azkadellia, wearing Cain's hat and Glitch's coat, looked around. "By the gods."

"Welcome to the Armpit of the West." Glitch said quietly as a large, greasy man walked past them. He lingered, leering unpleasantly at Azkadellia. Cain pulled back the tail of his duster to reveal the revolver on his hip. The man got the message, but made extravagant kissing noises at her before he moved along.

With a tired sigh, Cain pulled her closer, standing the collar up a little straighter to cover the dark hair that fell down her back beneath the coat. He drew the hat down a little further over her eyes. "I was hoping to pass you off as a man."

"Yeah, good luck." Glitch snorted. "With those-"

Azkadellia turned wide eyes on him. "With those what?"

Glitch was turning an interesting shade of red. "It's just . . .uh. . .you know. You-you have quite a pleasing figure. I mean, others, might find it pleasing." She quirked an eyebrow at his rambling. "Not that I don't find it pleasing . . ."

Who knew? The headcase wasn't numb from the neck down. Cain attempted to save him. "Glitch-"

"Well, this would be a whole lot easier if you were built more like your sister, Highness!" He blurted out.

Azkadellia was biting her lip now in an attempt to not laugh. Cain shook his head. "Drop the 'Highness' stuff."

He headed off down the sidewalk as Azkadellia said, "I'm telling DG you said that."

"Oh, please don't."

They moved to the cab stand where dilapidated vehicles of varying colors sat waiting for customers. Cain chose one of the less seedier individuals to get directions from. The club in which they were supposed to meet their contact would be easy enough to find. It was four blocks up and one over. The cabby assured Cain he wasn't going to be able to miss it.

Making sure that Azkadellia and Glitch were behind him, Cain started up the avenue. He had just looked up at a street sign and back when it happened.

Things slowed as he noticed the couple passing him. The man was a peacock, dressed in a suit, undoubtedly one of the high-rollers of the city. The woman wore a dark cloak, the hood pulled up, shading her face. But as she passed, she looked directly at him. He would know her anywhere. The blonde wavy hair, those beautiful blue eyes, the curve of the cheek he had touched so many times.

_Adora_

Disregarding everything else, he grabbed her arm. The mission, the fact that he knew his wife was dead; none of it mattered. She squawked in alarm as she was pulled from her escort who spun in shock as well. Her hood fell back. It was the face of a stranger that looked back at him. She looked nothing like his wife, brown eyes and dark hair.

She smiled seductively. "One customer at a time, big boy."

Cain held up his hands, feeling shaky. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"That's too bad." She looked him up and down once more before slowly returning to the other man who haughtily readjusted his jacket and led her off.

He watched them go, doubting his sanity. It wasn't as though he had thought he had seen his wife. He had been sure. Positive. It was bad enough he was seeing her every night in his dreams. Now he was seeing her when he was awake.

"What was that all about?" Azkadellia asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing," he replied, trying to make himself believe it. "Just a mistake."

"I know you blow a fuse when DG asks, but are you okay?" Glitch asked quietly. "You look kind of sick."

"Just tired." He wasn't going to admit how bad he felt. "Let's get going. The sooner we wrap this up, the sooner we can all sleep better."

As a Tin Man, he had come to a lot of places like this on raids. The Phanfasm was the picture of a sleazy establishment. It was dark and smoky. The wild flashing lights did little for his headache as the pulse of the music pounded against his eardrums. In the middle of the floor, he could see a mass of bodies gyrating to the tempo with barely any light between them. Lecherous old men ran their hands over the bodies of young women as if inspecting the merchandise. He made a mental note to pool his resources and rein in Rigmar if he survived all this.

Cain felt a pull on the back of his coat as Azkadellia latched onto him, afraid of getting lost in the crowd. His mind floated back to the last meeting he had had in a bar. What happened there was not happening again . . . no matter how well it turned out.

He watched her take in everything. It was easy to forget that she had lived a sheltered, lonely life. Things like this were going to put her on sensory overload. This was all very new to her. "Those women are dancing in cages."

Cain looked up. "Yeah, local custom. Glitch, what were the instructions again?"

"Middle bar, third stool in. Make sure the second seat is empty."

Cain made sure Azkadellia was between him and Glitch before pushing his way between the sweaty bodies. Two long bars ran along the walls of the bar. To get to the bar located centrally, they were going to have to cross the dance floor.

Azkadellia was still clinging to Cain as he moved among the dancers, lost in the music. He felt her tug, pulling him to a stop. He turned around and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Glitch had been cornered by a scantily-clad busty blonde. "Nice hat. Wanna dance?"

Before Cain could step in, Azkadellia rode to the rescue. "He's with me."

With that, she grabbed a hold of Glitch and pushed him away from the blonde, heading for the bar. Cain watched her steer Glitch past him and turned back around to see the woman sizing him up like a piece of meat. He made himself scarce.

Azkadellia was standing next to Glitch, who had a protective arm around her, from where he sat on the barstool. They had left the third stool open for Cain. There was no one in the second.

Cain whispered to Glitch. "How is the contact going to know us?"

"Order an Ozian Sunset."

"A what?"

"Just do it."

Cain flagged down the bartender and placed the order, noting the snicker the man gave him as he moved to the ice chest.

Despite her earlier display of courage saving Glitch, Azkadellia still looked nervous. "People come here voluntarily?"

"Believe it or not." Glitch replied.

"I've never been anywhere like this. I thought the Realm of the Unwanted was where criminals went."

"These aren't all criminals." Cain explained. "Most of them are just people trying to get by the only way they know how. Rigmar is like a "Sin City". Any pleasure fulfilled for the right price."

The bartender set a glass in front of Cain. The Tin Man had to look twice. The Ozian Sunset was a decidedly un-manly frozen drink comprised of pink and orange striations. It was topped with fruit and an umbrella. "This is part of the meeting code?"

"No," Glitch answered, picking off the cherry. "I just wanted to see if you would order one."

"Would you stop fooling around?" He said angrily.

"Eh," Azkadellia was making a face. She had just taken a sip. "What is in that?"

Cain snatched the drink back. Given her sheltered life, Azkadellia was undoubtedly a lightweight when it came to alcohol. The last thing he needed was a half-sauced, magic-wielding princess on his hands.

As he turned back, he realized that someone was now seated on the other side of him. She was a slight woman with long, shiny black hair and almond-shaped eyes. She didn't look at him as he said. "Sorry, miss, that seat is taken."

She took a sip from the glass of amber liquid before her. "You are a Tin Man, are you not?"

Suspicion crept into his voice. "Depends on who's askin'."

"I understand and appreciate your skepticism, but you have nothing to fear from me." She still did not look at him. "I know who sent the letter that brought you here."

"Do you?" Cain studied the bottles of liquor that lined the shelves behind the bar. "And why should I believe you?"

"I am a friend. It is up to you whether you believe that or not."

Further conversation was interrupted when Glitch was suddenly knocked from his bar stool and replaced by Azkadellia's greasy admirer from the street. "Hello, lovely. Fancy meeting you here."

He grabbed her arm and Cain saw anger flash in Azkadellia's eyes. If she used magic to defend herself, it would be like renting a billboard to announce their arrival in Rigmar.

Before he could settle the matter quietly, Glitch was back. He grabbed the man's arm and gave it an odd twist. The man screamed in pain and made to grab Glitch with the other hand. Of course, the nimble man ducked neatly and took his opponent to the floor with a blow to the knee.

Cain felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and ducked just as a second attacker sailed a massive fist over his head. Whether this guy was back-up for Azkadellia's boyfriend or looking for a fight, Cain didn't know. He didn't really care, either, as he brought a fist up under the man's ribs, doubling him over for a beauty of a hook to the jaw.

Cain looked up just in time to see Azkadellia bring a bottle of Quaddling Whiskey down on her admirer's head. Not bad for her first bar fight.

Hands clamped down on his shoulders but before he could break the hold, the hands were gone. He turned just in time to see their contact rendering the man unconscious with the heel of her hand. "We have to go."

He couldn't agree more. The club was descending into chaos. Tables were overturned, glasses were breaking, and everyone seemed to be getting in on the act.

Cain grabbed Azkadellia and pulled her to him. "Glitch, c'mon!"

Glitch handled his next opponent before vaulting over the bar and running down behind it. Cain and Azkadellia followed the woman and darted out the door at the rear of the bar, spilling out into a dark alley.

"Hurry, this way," the woman said. "We must get out of sight."

For now, they didn't have a lot of other options.

* * *

The small apartment was oddly furnished. It seemed their hostess had made and attempt at making it cozy, but somehow, got cut short. There were curtains on the windows and old, but mostly matching chairs in the living room. The gray carpet beneath their feet was thin, but clean. 

But on every available surface, the coffee table, the end tables, even the kitchen table when Azkadellia ventured a look, was covered with junk. Little half- assembled gadgets littered the apartment. Beakers containing liquids of all colors boiled on the stove and the entire apartment hung heavy with an acrid stench, as if something had just been burning.

But the most remarkable thing was the large, black crow that sat on a perch in the corner of the room. Its black eyes studied first Ambrose and then Azkadellia, keenly observing as they took in the rooms.

"What a strange place." Azkadellia said as she stood in the center and looked around.

Ambrose had picked up a small device from the coffee table and was examining it. "Wonder how long Cain will be."

"I shouldn't think too long."

The Tin Man and the dark-haired woman had seen them safely to the apartment and left again immediately to make sure no one was following them.

Azkadellia was about to ask Ambrose what he was tinkering with when a blood-curdling scream made them both jump. Standing in the doorway from the bedroom was a small, fragile-looking old man wearing a nightshirt over his trousers. Shocks of feathery white hair stood over his ears and his bald head glinted in the dim light. There was a crazed expression in his blue eyes as he pointed at Ambrose. "You!"

Immediately, Ambrose dropped what he was examining back to the coffee table. "I'm sorry. . .I didn't realize. . ."

The little man scurried across the room more quickly than Azkadellia would have thought possible. Ambrose stood very still, shifting nervously from foot to foot, as the old man eyed him up.

And then he put his hands in Ambrose's left pants pocket.

Startled, he looked to Azkadellia. "Friendly, isn't he?"

Muttering, the old man dove into the other pocket. Azkadellia approached slowly and quietly. "Sir? Sir, what are you looking for?"

He turned on her sharply. "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

Azkadellia stepped back, startled. Ambrose smiled as the man continued through his pockets. "There's a logic there I can't argue with."

"Ah-hah!" The old man came up, shaking his fist at Ambrose. "I knew it when you walked in. The boy's unbalanced, I said!"

Azkadellia couldn't suppress the snicker. Ambrose gave her a dirty look. "Sir, I am not unbalanced."

"Of course you are! With all this in one pocket." He opened his gnarled hand. All the coins from Ambrose's pocket were in it. "How can you walk?"

"Hey! That's mine."

"Just don't know what young men are thinking these days." The old man muttered to himself before yelling at Ambrose. "Do you want to ruin your hips? How will you dance with your lady-friend?"

The color rose in Ambrose's cheeks as the sound of wood on wood called Azkadellia's attention to a set of drawers beside her. The section of wall swung out, taking the chest with it. Cain entered through the hidden door with the woman behind him. "We're safe."

The Tin Man was about to say something else, but got a strange look on his face instead. Azkadellia turned to see the old man with his hands in Ambrose's pockets again.

"Three platinums, one sheckle to the left pocket. Two platinums and one sheckle to the right. I know it's not even, but your head's not on straight, anyway." He held up a golden Sovereign. "Well, this won't balance at all. I'll have to hold on to it."

"Hey!"

The woman moved in before Ambrose could protest too violently. "Father, give the man his money."

At her touch, he relinquished the coin which Ambrose prudently stuck in his inner jacket pocket.

Azkadellia turned to the woman. "He's your father?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The woman bowed low.

Azkadellia took a step back, instinctively looking to Cain. "She knows who I am."

"It's okay, Princess," he assured her. "This is Connalee LaRue and her father-"

"Doctor Terrence LaRue." Ambrose finished, looking in shock the little old man who was still examining his balance critically.

"You know him?" Azkadellia asked.

"He's the foremost authority on the uses of Moritanium." Ambrose's eyes held sympathy. "Or at least, he was. I thought he was dead."

"I also believed he was dead." Connalee spoke. "By a miracle, he came back to me."

Azkadellia felt it necessary to get back to the matters at hand. She turned to Connalee. "You sent the letters to the Resistance?"

Slowly, the woman shook her head.

"But you know who did?" Ambrose prompted.

"Of course." Connalee motioned to her father.

"Oh no." Ambrose groaned.

The old man was now muttering numbers to himself as he darted around the room. Azkadellia felt her heart sinking. "How could he write the letters?"

"I should explain." Connalee said.

Cain was studying her. "Yes, you should."

She encouraged them to sit with a wave of her hand. Azkadellia and Ambrose took the couch as Cain positioned himself by the apartment door and leaned against the wall. Connalee sat on a patched armchair and watched as her father began reorganizing the nuts and bolts he had found on the end table.

"My father had been taken from his position at the Central University by Long Coats." She took a deep breath. "Almost a year ago, he arrived at my apartment in Central City in the middle of the night. He was as you see him now."

Azkadellia watched him reorganizing his gadgets. "I'm sorry."

"The fault is not yours, Highness." Connalee replied softly. "How he escaped, I do not know. I knew that his absence would be noted. I took what I could that evening and fled south.

"I am able to support my father and myself by providing security at the Phanfasm. One night, I arrived home from work to find my father attaching a note to Bren's leg and opening the window."

"I assume Bren is the crow." Ambrose spoke up.

"He is not our doorman." Connalee replied with a hint of sarcasm. She turned to look at the animal. "Yes. When my father was taken, Bren returned to me. Father was always very fond of the bird. He kept him with him constantly."

"But you let him send the letter." Cain said.

Connalee nodded. "It was very important to him. He begged me. I saw no harm."

"Did you look at what it said?" Cain asked.

"I did, but the letters looked like nonsense to me." Connalee sighed. "Bren went. Bren returned and I thought no more of it."

"How did you know to meet us at the bar?" Azkadellia asked.

"I did not know who I was meeting." The woman replied. "Before I left for work, Father beseeched me to bring back the person seated on the third stool at the middle bar."

"Kind of vague instructions, weren't they?"

"Mr. Grant, I had no intention on bringing anyone back to this house tonight." Connalee responded before she looked to Cain. "Until I recognized you, Mr. Cain."

"You didn't tell me how you knew who I was." Cain replied evenly.

"Before my father's abduction, I was a cadet at the Academy. You spoke to my class about your experiences in the Eastern Territories."

Azkadellia turned to look at Cain. He caught her eye and gave her a nod before asking. "Did you complete training?"

"No." Connalee looked to each of them. "Something important was in those letters. What is happening?"

The trio looked at each other before Cain spoke. "You know about the Sun Seater?"

"Yes." Connalee smiled at Azkadellia, "I am aware of the fall of the Witch."

"Well, there's a second machine. And somehow, your father knows something about it that he's been trying to tell the rest of us."

"Sir Knight!" Dr. LaRue yelled suddenly, running to Cain. "Sir Knight, you must stop the dragons. You must!"

"Settle down, sir." Cain gently guided the man to sit beside Azkadellia.

"All this time, I thought it was the ramblings of an old man driven crazy by torture at the hands of the Witch." Connalee said sadly.

Azkadellia studied him, noting the symptoms. "I don't think he's crazy. I think he's been Addled."

"Addled? What is that?" Ambrose asked.

"It's something the Witch employed during the building of the Sun Seater." Azkadellia explained. "She would use magic to block certain pathways in the brain. That way, if she needed to, she could simply lift the magic, get the information she needed using a Viewer, and then Addle them again so they would be easier prisoners to keep."

Ambrose looked confused. "Did I get in the wrong line or something? Why was half of my brain removed?"

"Because they needed it to run the Sun Seater, remember?" Cain put in.

"Well, that and the fact that the Witch learned from her mistake with you." Azkadellia was sympathetic as she explained. "All of the information to run the Sun Seater was stored in the brain, but there was no ability to manipulate the calculations or tweak the specifications. Other scientists had to be found to build on your plans after she took your brain."

"Lucky me." Ambrose said sulkily.

"Azkadellia," Cain spoke up suddenly. "You said you lifted this magic before."

She saw where this was going. "We've been over this. The Witch used my magic to apply and lift the enchantment. I didn't have anything to do with it."

"Okay, let me rephrase. You've seen this magic lifted before."

"It's not as easy as that."

"Why not?"

"Mr. Cain," Azkadellia sighed. "The Witch was always very careful to lift the Addle once every few weeks. If a brain remains Addled for more than a month, it can become damaged beyond repair. Dr. LaRue has been under the curse for almost a year. If I were to lift it now, there's a good possibility it could kill him."

"Please," Connalee interrupted, her eyes pleading at Azkadellia. "If you can help him . . ."

"Ms. LaRue, I'm not sure that I can."

"If there is a chance to restore him."

Azkadellia made sure Connalee caught every word of what she was about to say. "This is quite possibly going to kill him."

The woman's eyes were bright with tears, but her tone was strong. "He would rather die than continue like this."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Long weekend, thought I would post again._

_Quote: The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits- Einstein_

_And for any Shelock Holmes fans out there, Dr. LaRue's 'coin distribution theory' is based loosely on "The Adventure of the Dying Detective". I was always amused by it. Thank you, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. _

_Cain, Glitch, and Az are in for a looooooooong night. _


	15. Chapter 15

"Did you know that sound travels four times faster in water than in air?" Dr. LaRue conspiratorially to Azkadellia as she sat across from him.

She prayed this worked. They had relocated to the kitchen and Connalee had pulled two of the chairs from the table, placing them facing each other. Cain and Connalee were standing behind LaRue and Ambrose right beside Azkadellia. It was now or never.

She took a deep breath, ordering her heart to stop beating so hard. If it went any faster, she was going to pass out. Gently, she reached up and placed her palms on either side of LaRue's head.

He shivered. "Cold hands."

"Just sit still, please?" Azkadellia begged. "It will only take a minute."

The light began to flow through her as she searched for the magical dams that blocked the neural pathways of the doctor's brain. It took only a few seconds for her to find them. There were four.

"Okay, we do this one at a time. Nice and slow."

The first barrier fell easily as did the second. On the third, the haze lifted from the man's blue eyes and there was more intelligence behind them.

When she went for the fourth, those eyes rolled up into his skull and he began to keel over.

Azkadellia went to the floor with him, knowing that if her hands left him, he would surely die. The old man began to seizure under her touch and it was all she could do to keep the connection.

In the next instant, Cain was there, holding the man's shoulders to the floor and Ambrose was beside her, pinning his legs. Cain looked at her. "C'mon, Princess, you can do this."

His words steadied her and she went back to the fourth dam site. There were ruptured blood vessels there. She could feel his body's energy as it worked frantically to heal itself. She took control of that energy, focusing it to get the blood to clot and the vessels to heal.

LaRue shuddered once and then lay still.

"Oh, no. I killed him."

Ambrose's fingers went to the man's neck. "There's a pulse. He's alive."

Cain backed up when the man began to stir and Ambrose made room for Connalee as she moved closer to take her father's hand. "Father?"

His eyes opened. "Connalee?"

She could only nod.

"Oh, my daughter." LaRue reached up to touch her face. "At last, I can speak with you."

Cain was smiling. "Told you you could do it, Princess."

The shock of her accomplishment was wearing off. "I'm glad one of us knew."

Dr. LaRue looked around at the strangers in the room with him. When his eyes settled on Azkadellia, he leapt up and began to crawl backwards across the floor. "Get back, Witch!"

"Father!" Connalee yelled over his ranting. "Father, it is the Princess Azkadellia you see before you! Her possession has ended."

The man sat still against his daughter for a moment before he relaxed and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Your Highness."

She saw looks of disbelief on Ambrose and Cain's faces that she knew matched her own.

The man smiled, looking mystified. "Has the royal greeting changed since my capture?"

"What? No." Azkadellia replied. "It's just that usually possession is not an excuse people are willing to accept."

"My dear, I studied the science of magic for many years." LaRue said in a dignified tone. "I knew your mother, the Queen Orianah, and I knew you as a child. I also knew possession when I saw it."

With Cain's help, Connalee managed to get her father back into the chair. "How do you feel?"

"Better than I've felt in five years." He patted his daughter's hand tiredly. "I thank you, Princess."

"You're welcome." Without thinking, she blurted out the question. "How did you escape?"

He smiled at her as he rubbed his forehead. "The Long Coats charged with returning me to the Witch's Tower did not consider me much of a threat as a prisoner. They fell asleep one night and I wandered off. Happy luck got me to Connalee's doorstep from there."

He looked at Ambrose. "I know you."

"Yes, sir." Ambrose looked nervous and thrilled all at the same time. "You and I met at the Academy of Magical Sciences Annual Conference."

"Ah, yes." The memory clicked for LaRue. "Ambrose Grant. As I recall, you had some rather unique ideas about magical energy and its use in extending the growing season."

"I'm honored that you remember, sir."

LaRue's blue eyes turned to Cain next. "I'm afraid that you have me at a disadvantage, good sir."

"Wyatt Cain."

At the name, LaRue dropped back in his chair, an air of sadness about him. "My condolences on the loss of your wife."

Cain went rigid beside Ambrose, who looked at him in a confused panic. Since the Tin Man's jaw was clenched tight, it was Ambrose that spoke. "How do you know she's dead?"

LaRue's blue eyes never left Cain. There was sympathy there, as if he understood the other man's loss. "I know she is dead because it is not Adora that stands before me. Instead, by some strange chance of Fate, it is her husband."

Cain was looking hard at the floor now. LaRue spoke softly. "She was a good woman, Mr. Cain. I am sorry for your loss."

His voice was hard and bitter as he looked at LaRue. "How did you know Adora?"

"Though my professorship at Central University gave me the appearance of being loyal to the Witch, I was actually a spy for the Resistance. When I offered my services to the movement, it was to Adora Cain that I spoke."

Azkadellia felt another repressed memory surfacing as a fresh wave of guilt washed over her. "She led the Resistance to the south. Until Zero killed her."

"I began correspondence with her before she became a leader. The fact that she spoke Tridic made it easy for me to code the letters so that she would be able to understand, but if the letters were intercepted, they could not be read by just anyone." La Rue sighed. "And she was more than willing to learn a little of the Ancients' language in case I needed to code more sensitive information."

"The Resistance was constantly on the move." Cain said. "How did you get these correspondences to her?"

"Bren." LaRue replied as the bird cawed loudly from the other room. "He was trained to always find Adora and deliver messages to her."

"My son, Jeb, received the last one."

LaRue contemplated this for a moment. "Perhaps, Adora took him into her confidence?"

"Not according to him. He had no clue who was sending the letters."

"Then, Adora honored my wishes to the letter. She never revealed my identity, keeping it only to herself. Perhaps when Bren was unable to locate her, he chose to deliver the messages to someone he saw her with often."

Azkadellia looked at Cain again and felt her heart go out to the man. DG had told her that he didn't talk about his late wife and it was a subject all of the friends agreed not to broach, choosing instead to let Cain work through it in whatever way he saw fit. Now, the subject was being thrust upon him and there wasn't much he was able to do about it.

She veered the conversation from that vein a bit. "I'm surprised after the Addling you were able to write such coherent letters."

"I am glad they were of use, Highness." LaRue looked relieved to be drawn away from such a painful subject for the time being. "I wasn't sure how coherent they would actually be."

"It took some doing, but we translated them." Ambrose was standing near Cain, his eyes still darting to his wounded friend at regular intervals.

"There were brief instances where I could put enough of a thought together to put it to paper. When those moments would come, I would send Bren and hope for the best."

"What about Heavens Gate?" Cain asked.

Connalee looked at him sharply. "We passed by that formation on the way to Rigmar. We spent a night there."

"And I took advantage of it." LaRue smiled. "I was quite busy that evening."

Ambrose goggled. "One evening?"

"It's amazing how insanity can bring out the creative streak in you." LaRue's eyes turned to Azkadellia. "And so you have been to Heavens Gate, Princess?"

"Yes."

"Then you know what you're facing."

"For the most part." Azkadellia replied. "But whatever you can tell us would be helpful. What are the Suket?"

"A race of beings that evolved to thrive in colder climates." LaRue replied.

"Are they all magic casters?" Glitch asked.

"No. A majority of them are not. Those with more pronounced skill rule over those that lack magical talent. Their leader, Stribog, is most powerful among them." The old man smiled at Azkadellia, "Though his talent pales in comparison to the Light of the House of Gayle."

Cain spoke up. "What about this machine they're building?"

"The machine, codenamed Tempest, lies in the north, in the Unnamed Mountains that mark the border between the O.Z. and the Impassable Desert." LaRue said. "The Moritanium core is designed to omit a powerful endothermic reaction when magical energy is coursed through it. Its purpose is to bring eternal winter to the O.Z. to create a habitable environment for the Suket to breed and expand their population."

"They need a machine to do that?" Ambrose asked. "It's not like they had a machine the first time around."

LaRue nodded. "In Dorothy's time, the Suket numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Today, their numbers have dwindled to the hundreds. After the Witch possessed you, Your Highness and your younger sister was apparently killed, the time was ripe for the Suket to make a bid for the control of the O.Z. again."

"Since Dorothy's Light was no longer present."

"Precisely," LaRue affirmed. "The only problem was that there were not enough Suketians to take over the land."

"How do you mean?" Ambrose asked.

"There is strength in numbers, my friend. Only a huge population of Suketians would be able to bring eternal winter to a land the size of the O.Z. using magic alone. And since they're defeat, the population of the Suket has fallen. They simply didn't have the numbers."

"Which is why they need a machine to do that for them." Azkadellia said.

"I'm afraid the Sun Seater was only the first phase of larger plan." LaRue informed them. "The Witch agreed to bring darkness down on the O.Z, thereby making it easier for the Suket to move more freely.

"But since the Sun Seater has been destroyed, the plan has been altered." La Rue continued. "Initially, it would have only taken a being with minimal magical ability to spread winter if the world were covered in darkness. Now, the Suket will need a magical source much stronger."

"That's why Zero and that Ice Witch were after DG." Azkadellia spoke up. "They need her light for the machine."

"They don't just need the light, Your Highness." LaRue stared at her. "They need the bearer as well."

Azkadellia's stomach twisted. "They were going to take her."

"Or you." Ambrose said softly.

"What'll we do?" Azkadellia looked to both of the men she had traveled with.

"Head back to Finaqua." Cain said firmly. "Inform your mother of what's going on and go from there."


	16. Chapter 16

When he awoke the next morning, Albert of the town of Crowley had a rude shock. Rubbing his large stomach and scratching his head of feathery black hair, he yawned widely before looking down at the empty bed where Ann slept. "Annie?"

His wife was nowhere to be found. When he went to the kitchen to look for her, he found the hearth cold and no breakfast prepared. Quickly, he rousted his eldest sons before getting dressed, grumbling. "The woman knows I need a good breakfast when I'm fighting Fielders."

Together, the three men left the house, closing what was left of their front door. The first thing Albert saw was the line of large, black Pumpkin Launchers that sat just feet from his front porch. True, he couldn't grow pumpkins as round or as heavy as his opponents, but he and the other inhabitants of Crowley had the country-bumpkins beat when it came to ingenuity. Nothing could match their Pumpkin Launchers. Oh, those Fielders would pay today.

Quickly, he stepped from his porch, sons in tow and waddled his way across the dirt street to his neighbor, Samuel's house. With a fat fist, he pounded on the door until the young man with dark hair answered, looking rather shaken. "I can't find Sara."

Albert felt a shock of apprehension ripple through him. "My Ann is missing, too."

"Do you think. . .they were taken?" Samuel asked.

Albert looked at his sons, his concerned mirrored in their faces. "It's the Fielders, I know it."

"Let me at 'em!"

Samuel nearly bowled Albert over in his haste, but the older man caught him by the shirt. "Easy, boy."

Up and down the street, more doors (or parts of them) began to open and quickly it became apparent that Albert and Samuel were not the only one's to wake up to cold and lonely houses. More men reported wives and in some cases, children and younger siblings among the missing. Within minutes, they had all gathered at the center of town, murmuring wildly and speculating how those devilish Fielders had managed to slip in to their town and spirit away their loved ones in the middle of the night.

Finally, the cry went up. "To the fields! We'll bombard those Fielders until they beg to tell us what they've done!"

With a great roar, the men of Crowley rushed down the main street to plunging headlong into the pumpkin patch. They would find the best ammunition, such as they had, and bomb the living daylights out of those no-good, wife-snatching Fielders.

The surge stopped abruptly when the men of Crowley suddenly realized that their pumpkin fields, which had been overflowing with squashed, deformed pumpkins the night before, were completely empty.

They had all been picked and piled not far from the Launchers and it was from the top of this massive pile that Jeb Cain had a bird's eye view of the morning's rather amusing events. He had suggested the easier option of simply smashing all of the pumpkins, but DG had disagreed. The winter was coming, the growing season was going to be short because of the fighting, and it was a possibility that the people of these two towns were going to have to live off of the pumpkins they had once grown as weapons.

So, after Ruth had run to speak with her friend Ann, both women began to rally others in their respective villages who were tired of the fighting and more than willing to reconcile with their neighbors. Many were intrigued to know what the Viewer, Raw had seen. Anything had to be better than repairing roofs on an almost constant basis. The entire night had been spent picking the pumpkins in both Crowley and Fielder and piling them up to keep them from being used in the morning.

It was impossible for Jeb to swallow the smirk as the men of Crowley spotted him, took a few seconds to let the image process in their brains, and then stormed over.

To anyone else, a group of angry men striding at them with murder and mayhem in their hearts would be cause for concern. Jeb, however, had faced much worse than this with less of a plan then the one DG had concocted. It was easy to sit there coolly on his pile of pumpkins and let them come. He was King of this particular mountain.

The man he knew to be named Albert lead the group. "What's the meaning of this, boy?"

"Ah, good morning, gentlemen. I'm glad to see you all well."

"Who are you?" Albert's face was getting red. "You're in league with those-those Fielders, aren't you?"

"No, actually. I'm in the employ of a third party, an arbitrator, if you will."

"Arbi-arbi-" he abandoned the attempt. "Don't be playing games with me, boy. Those Fielders have taken our wives and children! We intend to make them pay and you're sitting on our ammunition. Tom! Bill!" Albert's two sons came forward. "Start loading the Launchers."

Before the boys had a chance to move, a voice rang out. "You will do no such thing!"

From behind the Launchers a tall woman with dark hair appeared followed by a younger, willow-wand of a girl. Albert's eyes shown with relief. "Annie."

Samuel smiled. "Sara!"

From around the pile of pumpkins, more of Crowleys missing inhabitants began to appear from behind the Launchers and outbuildings surrounding them. The men opened their arms to them, expressing their relief at seeing them alive, how worried they had been.

Not one of the wives moved to their husbands. They stood, hands on the shoulders of their children, staring disapprovingly at the knot of men they surrounded. Albert seemed confused. "Ann?"

The woman regarded her husband coolly. "Was it unpleasant waking up without me this morning, Albert?"

His jaw worked. "I-I was worried sick."

"That's good to know, considering for the last week you have barely noticed that I exist."

"My love, I know. But the Fielders-"

"Do not start." Ann cut him off. "I will say this once. We have a chance to clear this whole mess up. To find out what really happened fifty annuals ago to start this gods-forsaken feud."

"We know what happened, woman!" Albert shot back, his ire up immediately. "Those stinkin' Fielders accused us of a crime we never committed! Destroyed our Launchers!"

"As usual, dear," Ann spat. "You do not know as much as you think you do. It's time for this to stop."

Albert was struck mute, but Samuel spoke up. "You expect us to just forgive those Fielders?"

"No," Jeb said, "The ladies would just like you to join them on a civilized stroll to the lake and maybe you'll learn something."

The aggressors all stared up at Jeb with disdain. "We haven't got time for walkin' and hand-holding!" Albert shouted. "Right now, those Fielders are probably loading up those bastardized catapults for an attack while we're being held up!"

There was a loud chorus of agreement from the others.

"I assure you, they aren't." Jeb stared back at the man intently. "And if I were you, sir, I'd make time for my wife. I don't think you understand what you're about to lose."

"What are you saying?" Samuel asked.

"We are saying," Sara picked up, glaring at her husband. "That you will agree to come with us to the lake, or we will leave you to your fighting. We will go and not come back."

Silence hung heavy over Crowley until Albert finally broke it. "You wouldn't."

"The subject," Ann said heatedly, "is not open for discussion. You either come or we leave."

Without another word, Ann and Sara left the group, striding purposefully towards the lake. More of the women and children followed, leaving the men standing. Again, Jeb found it impossible not to grin.

After a few moments of indecision, Albert pulled sharply on the lapels of his jacket and started after his wife. His followers straggled after him in an air of apprehensive curiosity.

On the other side of the fence in the town of Fielder, DG was having a very similar conversation with a tall, skinny man named Ernest. The only difference was Ruth vowed to find a new place to store a very threatening pitchfork if he didn't get his butt to the lake.

* * *

There were more comfortable places she could be, no doubt. Beside DG, Raw shifted nervously. Together, they stood between two of the most hostile groups DG had ever seen. The Town of Crowley scowled across the lake at the Town of Fielder, and the Town of Fielder scowled right back.

DG just hoped Ann, Ruth, and the other women could continue to exercise some control over their husbands until they got this whole sordid thing aired out. Having two groups as hostile as these within such close proximity wasn't her best idea, but the lake was the only thing big enough for Raw to mirror his vision in so that all could see it.

A wave of relief passed over DG when she saw Jeb jogging towards her. "Let's get going."

DG nodded and gave Raw a quick smile before clearing her throat. "Gentlemen, I know you've been fighting a long time. So long in fact, most of you seem to have forgotten why you're fighting at all."

"The Crowleys started it!" A voice called from the Fielders side.

"Curse the suns we did! It was you blasted Fielders!"

DG raised her voice over the growing din as the wives jerked their husbands' sleeves and reminded them that this was to be a peace conference, not a declaration of war. "The point is there has been a huge mistake." She put a hand on Raw's shoulder. "My friend here can show you your history, just by touching one of you."

At a nod from Ruth, Maddy ran forward to Raw who had already crouched down to give her a hug. Then gently, he took one of the little girl's hands in his own and touched the water of the lake with his other hand.

The image shimmered forward immediately, large enough for everyone to see. The lake turned dark and they all watched as a large barn door opened. Two young boys entered, one with dark hair and one with light.

The dark-haired boy was carrying a lantern. The light illuminated the barn's interior. It was stacked to the rafters with large, impossibly spherical pumpkins. "I can't wait for the Launching Contest tomorrow."

His companion nodded. "Me, too. The Fall Harvest Festival is my favorite time of year. I love to see our round pumpkins fly. You know, the rounder they are and the better they fly."

"Who cares?" The dark-haired boy laughed. "It's the launcher that matters."

"Pumpkin shape is just as important." The sandy-haired youngster stuck out his chin. "You're just jealous, 'cause you all in Crowley can't grow things as well as we can in Fielder."

"And you're just jealous, 'cause you all can't build things as smartly as we can in Crowley." The dark-haired boy put the lantern down on a small table. "Probably wouldn't even be a Pumpkin Launching Contest if it weren't for people like my father."

"Don't get all smug, Phillip. My Dad could build a Launcher, too."

Phillip laughed. "Yeah, right, Dennis. You're Dad's just a dumb farmer."

Dennis lunged at Phillip, pushing him. "Take it back!"

Phillip stumbled, but kept his feet. "No!"

Dennis went for his friend again, but Phillip was ready. He caught Dennis by the shirt and began to wrestle for control. The blonde boy flipped his opponent, sending both of them backwards. Phillip's feet knocked the legs from under the table and sending the lantern smashing to the floor. The glass broke immediately and the oil spilled all over the straw strewn floor.

The fire spread swiftly, fueled by the oil and the dry, abundant straw. The boys, obviously frightened, backed away and ran for the door, only barely escaping as the flames climbed higher, licking the rinds of Fielders' prized pumpkins.

Raw removed his hand from the water and giving Maddy a quick smile, he sent her back to her mother. DG looked around. On both the Crowley and Fielder sides, there was an abundance of shocked expressions.

"That's how it started." DG began, quietly. "It started with two boys arguing and an accident."

"But that Crowley boy, Phillip. He . . ." The excuse went flat as several of the Fielders stared down the speaker.

"Don't you see? Before all of this, Crowley and Fielder used to get along. They had a festival in the fall after the harvest. Only, this year, there's nothing to harvest because you've spent the entire growing season fighting. Not much to celebrate."

"And think of your wives." Jeb spoke up and DG felt an up swell of gratitude for his support. "They have to work doubly hard just to make sure you and your children don't starve in the winter because you have been too busy fighting to provide for them."

"Wrong to teach children to hate." Raw added. DG smiled at him, but his innate shyness kept him from continuing.

She picked up the thread for him. "Raw's right. Is this the kind of life you want to leave for your kids? Fighting day in and day out? You could do so much more if worked together. Fielders," The men looked at her, "no one grows better crops than you, right?"

There was a timid rumble of agreement. "And Crowley, you are a group of skilled inventors and craftsmen, aren't you?"

They agreed with a bit more confidence. "Then just imagine what you could do if you all worked together."

"Imagine," Ernest spoke up, "how far our pumpkins would fly if we launched them from one of those Crowley Cannons."

This raised some excitement, not only from the Fielders, but also from the Crowleys. "Those nice, weighty, round pumpkins in one of our cannons? I bet we could launch that thing over four cornfields."

Beside her, Jeb shook his head.

DG grinned and said quietly to him. "Well, it's a start." She raised her voice. "I think you all are missing the point. There are more important things in life than launching pumpkins."

"Like feeding your families." Ruth said as she went to Ernest. "We have so much land. Imagine if we got a plow from Crowley. We could grow enough crops to live like royalty all winter long. "

Ann had gone to Albert as well. "And with the expertise of the Fielders, perhaps we could grow something a little more suitable to eat besides misshapen pumpkins."

Albert studied her for minute, before breaking into a grin. Before DG knew it, he was laughing and Ann along with him. She herself sputtered a giggle as the rest of the people gathered by the lake began to laugh as well.

As DG, Jeb, and Raw watched, families reunited with much kissing and hugging. And then slowly and miraculously, the people of the two towns began to merge and mingle, greeting each other and making introductions.

Some were still wary of their neighbors, but much to their surprise, Albert, with his arm still around his wife, made his way to Ernest and shook his hand.

"Well, that was fun." Jeb said. "But we're still no closer to the City of Emeralds."

"DG still not know which road to take."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that . . ."

"About what, may I ask?" Ernest had made his way over with Ruth, Albert and Ann along with them.

"Oh, that's right!" Ruth laughed. "These good folks were looking for directions before they got all caught up in our troubles."

"Is that so?" Albert smiled. "Funny twist of fate, isn't it?"

"There's a lot of that going around." DG snickered.

Jeb ignored her. "We were wondering about the crossroads. Where do the forks lead?"

"Well, coming from the northeast, the right fork leads down to Ruby Hollow, just a little town." Ernest informed them. "If you head straight, it dead ends. Road just stops."

"What about the left fork?" DG asked.

"Nobody goes that way." Albert said, a hint of apprehension in his voice. "It's cursed. That path leads to the Dark Forest. No one has ever passed through and lived."

DG exchanged glances with Raw and Jeb. No doubt which way they needed to go, then.

Before Jeb could respond, a teenage boy with the Crowley's distinctive dark hair came running from the villages. "Long Coats! Long Coats are coming!"

One of the other men had grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Where? How many?"

"On the road!" The boy responded breathlessly. "A whole battalion of them."

DG felt fear grab her. These people were in danger and she got the nasty feeling it was their fault. She turned to Jeb. "Do you think they're after us?"

"Don't know, but finding us here would sure make their day." He grabbed Ernest's shoulder. "Get your families out of here. Long Coats have been ransacking villages all over the O.Z."

"You go. Keep the princess safe." Albert smiled at Jeb's flabbergasted look. "Yes, boy, it is the sticks and yes we've been a little preoccupied. But we do get some news out here. You just better guard yourselves a little more carefully then you did here."

"Yes sir."

"Go." Ruth said. "We'll keep them busy while you get away."

"All right, boys!" Albert yelled. "Let's get those cannons repositioned. Get the ammunition! We'll give those Long Coats a whuppin' the likes of which they ain't never seen."

A war cry went up as the Crowleys and Fielders raced back to their respective towns.

"Shall we find out what happens when the best pumpkin cannons fire the roundest pumpkins?" Ernest asked.

"I'd say it's about damned time." Albert agreed as the two men took off after their fellow townsfolk.

"We can't let you do this." DG told Ruth and Ann as they all began to hurry back towards the towns. "Those Long Coats have guns and they're desperate."

"They won't even get close, Your Highness." Ann replied. "Besides, we owe you. Might as well put all those good pumpkin launching skills to use."

"But-"

"DG." He put a hand on her shoulder. "These people are risking their lives. Honor their wishes."

Knowing he was right, DG conceded. "C'mon Raw."

Together, the three took off running for Fielder as fast as they could. By the time they got there, all three of their mounts were saddled and standing next to a freshly smashed hole in the tall fence that separated the two towns. Cannons were being hauled through by teams of large, gray horses.

Jeb checked Speedy's girth and got DG in the saddle before vaulting onto his own horse. Samuel reached up to grasp his hand. "I want to thank you."

"Thanks for getting the horses." Jeb replied.

"There are fresh provisions in your bags." Samuel stepped back, leaving to help prepare for the battle to come. "Good luck."

"You, too." DG called as she clocked Speedy in the ribs with her heels. She must have caught his attention because the usually lazy creature leapt forward at a pace that surprised DG. She held on, though. There were Long Coats on her tail and people were risking their lives to give her a chance to escape. No way was she coming off now.

Jeb's horse kept pace and DG could hear Raw's thundering on behind her. Feeling a little brave, she used the bight of the reins to catch Speedy across the hindquarters. He flattened his ears and for a brief second, DG wondered if she had overplayed her hand. But the horse didn't buck. Instead, he stretched out and hit a new gear that left her companions in the dust. DG felt her breath catch again as the animal tore across the dirt cornfield, slowing only marginally as he reached the cover of the peach trees where Ann had picked fruit to can. DG impressed herself when she managed to negotiate the trunks without getting brushed off by any of the branches.

Speedy's forefeet clipped on the brick road just before Jeb's horse and immediately, DG swung him to the left, heading towards the Dark Forest. Behind her, she heard the distinct report of cannon fire.


	17. Chapter 17

"Why does Mary insist on bringing cream? She knows neither one of us takes it in our tea."

Ahamo looked up from the papers he was holding. "A bit edgy, aren't we?"

"It's a waste." Orianah huffed before she finished pouring the tea and crossed the room to hand it to him.

"You're a genius." Ahamo said as he took the cup.

She smiled for him, knowing that was what he was looking for. "I thought you were already aware of that, dear."

He flipped through the papers in his hands. "One hundred and fifty men in two days. Very impressive."

Her plan was simple. Under the guise of still deploying troops and supplies and trying to keep it quiet, Orianah had baited the spy she now knew to be somewhere in Finaqua or along her chain of command. She had let slip three different missions: one to the Southern Forest, another to the Eastern Territories, and the last to the villages of the west. The traps to the south and east had been sprung. In each instance, bands of Long Coats had arrived to ambush the Royal Army's troops. What they found were alert soldiers, outfitted for battle.

"I just wonder," she walked the length of the study, "why the western mission was spared."

"Perhaps we didn't make enough noise about it." Ahamo offered. "Or there were no Long Coat divisions close enough to take advantage of the supply train."

"Even before this whole mess started, the west was thick with Long Coats. It was the one I was most expecting to be hit."

Ahamo nodded. "If you're right, perhaps our treacherous friend is a soldier of fortune. He's just passing along what information he can come by."

"Then that excludes the chain of command." Orianah reasoned. "Every order, every deployment passes down that line."

"So it is someone in Finaqua." Ahamo finished for her.

"Both a relief and a disturbing thought all at the same time." She crossed her arms. "I can trust the generals, but I can't trust my own cook-staff or the soldier that guards my door."

"You have Tutor." Ahamo came closer and hugged her. "And you have me."

She smiled into his shoulder. "And that will get us through this."

* * *

He arrived quietly on the streets of Rigmar, dressed as one of the common people who roamed it. In the early morning, the city was dead. It was at night that this haven for degenerates came to life. 

They needed to end this. The princess needed to be captured. And soon. A conference with Lilith that morning revealed that Orianah had upped the ante and begun laying traps for his Long Coats. He had told her to relay to her spy that he still wanted whatever information they could get, but he would no longer send men to attack Orianah directly.

Besides, it was pointless if they were as close to the objective as he thought they were.

Unhurriedly, he walked beside Rawson, who was dressed in similar fashion to Zero. "Your man is sure?"

"He seemed to be." Rawson replied as he turned. "The man that came to him was quite adamant."

They abandoned further conversation as they slipped into the shadows of a dirty alley and, splashing through the filthy water that pooled at its center. Rawson led the way to a slimy wooden door and pushed it open. Zero walked through first, taking in the room.

It was lit by a single bare light bulb that illuminated the cracked walls. Beneath this orb stood a large man with oily, dark hair smoking a cigarette. On his forehead was a bloodied bandage. Another man stood in the dimness, just beyond the light's reach.

Zero moved forward with measured steps. He knew this type of man. He had dealt with his kind before. This would be entertaining. "You have information for me?"

"Word is," the man said in an arrogant tone, as he pulled a flyer from his pocket, "you're lookin' for this broad."

_Broad._ What a way to speak of royalty. He took the paper and unfolded to reveal the Princess Azkadellia's face. "I am. You've seen her?"

The man gingerly touched the bandage. "We've met."

"Where is she?"

"Now, now." The man stepped forward and tapped the flyer, pointing to the line that said 'Reward'. "You owe me something."

Zero looked past the man to the Long Coat that stood in the shadows. A knife appeared in his hand and it was pressed swiftly to the man's throat.

Zero's smile turned feral as the arrogance vanished in a flash. The man sputtered as the Long Coat pressed the blade's edge deeper against his flesh. He repeated. "Where is she?"

"She was at the Phanfasm last night." The man was spilling his lousy guts. "When the fight started, she and the guys she was with ran out the back with one of the bouncers. Dark-haired chick."

Zero nodded to the man again and the grease ball jumped away as the knife left his throat. He rubbed at his neck and straightened his stained jacket.

"I thank you for your help." Zero said.

"Keep your thanks, give me the money." The overconfidence was back as quickly as it had fled

"You'll get what's coming to you." Zero turned, nodding to Rawson to follow. "Find this club, find this woman. I want the princess's location tonight, before she moves again."

"Yes sir."

Zero closed the door behind him as a scream of pain was cut short.

* * *

"Hey, check it out." DG called happily as Jeb reentered the camp. "I have made fire." 

He gave her a half-amused smirk as he leaned the rifle up against a tree and bringing a pair of rabbits he had shot closer to the fire. "Congratulations."

Jeb had led them off the Brick Road about a kilometer to camp for the night. After he had them settled in a nice little cove near a crystal stream, he had given DG permission to start a small fire as long as she found dry tinder so there would be very little smoke. Meanwhile, he had doubled back to make sure no one was following.

"Where's Raw?"

"He went off to find his own dinner. You said something about hunting and he took off." DG poked at her campfire with a stick, still feeling pretty proud of herself despite Jeb's lackluster response. "He seemed kind of queasy."

"Viewers are vegetarians. They're ability to 'See' makes it hard for them to inflict pain on any living creature, so they stick to stuff that doesn't scream when you eat it."

"What about the skins that Raw wears, though? An animal had to die to make those."

"That's true," Jeb settled himself beside the fire and drew out his hunting knife to skin and dress the rabbits, "but they don't have a lot of choices when it comes to clothes. Most of them live in remote villages and they don't have the means to weave fabric. They have to rely on animals for that, but unless they are truly hard-pressed, Viewers will only take sickly and dying animals. Even then, it's hard for them. That's why most Viewers only have one or two sets of clothes and they take very good care of them."

DG looked up from the fire. "How do you know all of this?"

He gave her an odd look. It was furtive as though he had said too much. "Just stuff you pick up here and there."

She kind of doubted that, but let it pass. She watched Jeb work and then rig up a spit over the fire. "How do you like your 'peasant pheasant' done, m'lady?"

She had to laugh at him a bit. "Well done, thank you."

They were quiet for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the night as it closed in around them. It didn't take long for the aroma of the cooking meat to permeate the hollow, making DG's stomach rumble. She had never had rabbit, but after riding all day with very little to eat, she was more than ready to try it. "Do you think your Dad and the others are on their way back to Finaqua yet?"

Just like his father, Jeb stiffened at the mention of the other Cain. "I would think so."

"He's going to be worried."

"I'm sure." Jeb said in an off-hand manner that made it clear he wasn't happy with the current topic. "He'll get over. Or maybe he won't. Who knows with him?"

DG was working up the nerve to ask Jeb about what was going on between him and his father again when Jeb cocked his head as if listening. "Here, watch dinner a second."

DG took over the spit as Jeb got to his feet and hurried towards the stream. He knelt down and she could hear him splashing in the water. After a minute, he stood, gently cradling something in his hands.

"What do you have?" DG asked as he came back.

Jeb gave her an embarrassed look as he pulled some dry, soft leaves together into a pile near the fire. Gently, he laid the little mouse he was holding down on them.

The poor creature was soaking wet after its inadvertent swim. Its soft gray fur was plastered to its body and it was shaking uncontrollably. The fine little whiskers drooped and the tiny creature's small black eyes were closed. DG had serious doubts that it was going to live through the shock.

DG gazed at the pitiful thing before looking to Jeb. "You saved a mouse?"

He still looked chagrin as he took the spit back from her. "Is that so odd?"

DG scooted over to make room for him. "Kind of. For a guy that just shot two rabbits."

"That's different. We need to eat." He gazed into the flames. "But sometimes, there's just no need for death. Some people see enough of it and they get immune. Numb to the sufferings of others. I promised I wouldn't end up being one of those people."

"Promised who?" DG asked quietly. She had a feeling she knew the answer.

"My mother." Jeb replied. "It never mattered how small or insignificant a creature was, man or beast, she'd help it if she could."

Cain never talked about his wife. Not to any of them. DG had often wondered if it was healthy, but she never confronted him with it. DG had never lost anyone close to her and she wasn't about to question how someone else mourned.

She didn't know how Jeb would take it, but she felt the need to express her condolences. "I'm sorry she's gone."

"Thank you." He surprised her with his quiet graciousness. It was a few more seconds before he spoke again. "You two would have probably gotten along well. Mom was a magnet for trouble, too."

DG smiled as he chuckled and removed the meat from the fire. She looked over to the small mouse again. It had stopped shivering and had curled up contentedly on the bed Jeb had made for it. Maybe it would survive after all.

_**A/N**__: I've been enjoying adding little 'Easter eggs' (as Invder Lava likes to call them) out there for you guys to spot, but be forewarned: I'm not following anything strictly. Just sorta-kinda. I have pulled stuff from the book, and the movie, and the miniseries. If things are a little out of order along DG's road, well, you're all just going to have to trust me._

_You do trust me, right? You should see my wicked grin right now. _


	18. Chapter 18

"Why didn't you stop her?" He hadn't meant the words to come out. Somewhere, in the deep recesses of his mind, a small voice of reason was screaming at him to stop. The anger overrode it.

Jeb looked at him coldly. "How was I supposed to stop her?"

He redirected the tirade. "She should have known better."

"What did you want her to do?" Jeb's voice was angry now, too. "Sit around and wait? She wasn't built like that, Dad."

"That's right," Cain was pacing the dirt floor of the tent now. "Couldn't sit still could she? She had one job. That was to keep herself and you alive."

"Until when?" Jeb yelled. "We thought you were dead. No one was coming to rescue us. We had to take care of ourselves."

He turned to glare at his son. "She did a damned fine job, didn't she?"

"She was a good fighter, a good leader." Jeb shot back, not willing to lose ground in this fight. "You should be proud of her."

"Proud?" He told himself to stop. It didn't work. "I don't want to be proud. I want my wife!"

And with that, he left the tent, leaving his son to stare at his back, leaving the guilt and anger that he felt every time he looked at the boy.

But he couldn't outrun those eyes, full of hurt and pain. Or his son's voice. _You want her alive? Why weren't you there? Why weren't you there when I had to bury my mother? Why didn't you stop them? That was your responsibility and you failed. Why weren't you stronger?_

Jeb had never said such things. He didn't have to. Cain knew that's what he was feeling.

"Stop it." He said aloud to the empty room. It was getting worse. He wasn't even asleep and the visions were coming. His fight with Jeb, Adora's hurt face, bloodied and wounded mouthing the soundless "Why?" were almost constantly on his mind now, only pushed away when he could distract himself with some facet of his current situation.

But when he was alone, the visions would come and he was quickly losing the resolve to keep them at bay.

He rolled over on the bed, coughing, as he watched the twin suns setting. They would move soon. It had been too late last night. Both Glitch and Azkadellia had been dead on their feet. They had stayed the night in the LaRue's apartment, and spent the day as well. Rigmar was a ghost town in the daylight hours and moving five people out of town was bound to draw attention. They had agreed to wait until nightfall and slip out as the city began to come to life.

There was a gentle knock on the door. "Mr. Cain?"

"Come in, Princess." He sat up on the edge of the bed as Azkadellia came into the room, mug in hand.

There was a minor explosion from the kitchen followed by a "Woo-hoo-hoo!" from Glitch. Azkadellia didn't flinch, but Cain turned to make sure there were no casualties. "What are they doing?"

"I stopped asking." Azkadellia replied.

Glitch and LaRue had hit it off famously. When Cain had stumbled out to the kitchen in search of coffee (which had been more of a quest than he had bargained for) he had found the two seated at the cluttered table, pouring over hasty blueprints for some sort of device. Since they hadn't even acknowledged his presence, he decided they were too involved to explain it and he wasn't going to understand it, anyway.

Speaking of coffee, the princess handed him the cup. He sipped gratefully, praying caffeine would be enough to keep him alive until they returned to Finaqua.

Without an invitation, she sat down beside him. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, Highness." He mentally noted to stop asking DG if she was all right every twelve seconds. He was beginning to see it got old, quickly. "It's just a bug."

"No, it's not. Mr. Cain, I think you've been cursed."

He sputtered in his coffee. "Oh, really?"

Her look was disapproving. "Just hear me out, please? Have you ever heard of a Reminiscence Curse?"

"Can't say as I have."

"It's simple magic." Azkadellia continued. "It restricts the victim's ability to deal with their own personal tortures. They become obsessed with the object causing them pain or guilt. It begins with nightmares and gradually makes its way into the victim's every waking moment."

Cain didn't respond, so she went on.

"You dream about your wife's death, don't you?" She asked softly and carefully. "And now you're starting to see her when you're awake. That's what happened on the street last night. You thought that woman you grabbed was Adora."

"It's none of your business." He said dangerously.

Azkadellia wasn't scared off. "Oh, but it is. I'm trusting you with my safety and the fate of my mother's entire kingdom. If you aren't fit for that job, then it is most definitely my problem."

He was duly impressed by her candor. "I'm capable."

"For now, you'll do." Azkadellia's armor dented a bit as she began to speak on a more personal level. "But you need to understand the effects of this curse. It will not only poison your mind, but your body as well. This could kill you."

He looked to her. "So lift the curse."

"I can't."

"Here we go again." Cain said into his coffee.

"You have a lot to learn about magic."

"I'll pass."

"That may not be wise of you're going to continue to hang around with my family." Azkadellia said. Her smile faded as she continued. "This is simple, but powerful magic. The only one who can defeat it, is you."

"I'm working on it, Princess."

"Perhaps, you should consider another plan of attack."

Any clarification was cut short when Cain looked up. The world had gone dark. When last he had looked, he had estimated another hour or so before total darkness enveloped the city. Overhead, heavy black clouds hung over the roofs. Then, with a rushing like an oncoming train, he heard the wind race down the street and hit the building, bringing with it a wall of white. It was snow.

Glitch yelled from the kitchen. "Cain! Azkadellia!"

The princess gave him a concerned look before they both hurried from the room. Cain could feel the temperature in the apartment dropping.

Azkadellia got the kitchen first. "What's happening?"

"The Suket have found us." LaRue stood at the window with Connalee, his voice clipped with tension. "They must be using the light of the younger princess to power Tempest."

"I thought you said they needed the bearer of the light to run the machine." Cain growled over the sounds of the assaulting storm.

"For an extended period of time, yes." LaRue replied, "but if they focused the magical energy, they could mount an attack such as this on a specific location."

They had been followed. Cain cursed himself for being so careless. "We've gotta get out of here."

"How?" Glitch asked. "We'll never survive that weather."

"Grab your snow boots, Glitch. We can't stay here." Cain ran from the room, gathering his gun belt.

Connalee raced for the back rooms to gather what she could. "I know of someplace we can hide until we can figure something out."

Cain slapped the release for the secret passage. "Let's move!"

Glitch ran in from the kitchen, stuffing something into his jacket pocket and with LaRue by the arm. Bren the crow leapt down from his perch and on to the old man's shoulder. "After you, Professor."

Connalee appeared next, loaded with blankets. Cain hustled her down the passage and turned towards Azkadellia. "C'mon, Princess!"

It happened so fast that Cain didn't have time to react. He was sent flying backwards, through the passageway entrance, the door swinging closed right behind him and surrounding him in darkness as he hit the back wall and fell to the floor. He was dazed, but recognized Glitch's hand on his chest. "Cain?"

"I hate magic." Cain was on his feet again and putting his shoulder to the door, pushing against it to open it back up. It was jammed. "There's something against it."

Cain pushed harder as the sounds of a skirmish started. From what he could hear, Azkadellia was taking the apartment apart. Walls splintering and furniture being destroyed were mingled with the cries of pain from the princess's would-be attackers.

"We must go." Connalee insisted.

"You're crazy, lady." Cain strained as he continued to push. "We're not leaving her here."

"She is trying to give us a chance to escape!"

"Yeah, well, she's crazy, too."

"They will not kill her." Connalee's brown eyes were intense. "But we are most certainly dead if we stay. We will be of no use to her."

She was right. He hated it, but she was right. What was done was done and he needed to work from where he stood. They needed to regroup. Cain grabbed Glitch's arm. "Let's go."

There was an intenseness that Cain had never seen before in the advisor's eyes. "No."

In that brief instant, Cain understood. "We'll get her back."

"I'm not leaving."

This was going to hurt Cain more than it was going to hurt Glitch. With the briefest of pauses, he sent a fist flying at Glitch's jaw. His aim was true and the man slumped, knocked unconscious by the blow. Quickly, Cain slung him over his shoulder and motioned for Connalee to lead the way down the corridor.

On the other side of the wall, Azkadellia directed a bolt of pure white light at the next Suketian to present himself. The cold, pale creature fell back against the door with a scream.

Energy coursed through her veins as she held a hand aloft and summoned the brightest light she could. It threw the room into a stark, blinding relief. The attackers fell back at its brilliance, hissing and shielding their eyes. She prayed the others had fled. There was no way she was going to be able to keep this up. _Please, let them have gone._

"Keep it up, Princess." A sickeningly familiar voice called from just beyond the door. "How long do you think the residents of Rigmar can survive this weather? The temperature is dropping as we speak. This is usually such a warm, southern city. How do you think these people are dealing with the little nip in the air?"

The people were dying. Before they had fled, the room was already getting unbearably cold. Azkadellia new that exposure to this kind of harsh weather would kill in a matter of minutes. She stopped the flow of magic and lowered her hand.

She was the picture of relaxed poise when Zero entered the room. She had felt them coming as they had moved into the building. The evil had permeated the air as they had come, knowing exactly who they were looking for and where to find them. It was she alone that was guaranteed of survival. They needed her. Her friends needed to be protected. That's why she had used her magic to knock Cain back and seal the passage.

"Well, well. Princess Azkadellia." Zero smirked coldly as he entered. "You're looking well."

"I can't say the same for you. You're looking a bit peaked." Azkadellia replied smoothly as she spied the Ice Witch that had attacked DG saunter into the room. "Perhaps, it's the company you keep."

The woman sneered at her. "Watch your tongue, girl."

"Watch yours." Azkadellia shot back. "Because even if I vaporized you right now, Zero wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He still needs me for your machine."

She noted how Zero stepped in front of the Witch protectively. She smiled, knowingly. "All that time, I just thought you were a cretin. Turns out, you weren't even human."

"Get your shots in while you can, Princess." He snatched a glass jar from the Witch and held it in front of him. "Your Light, please."

She gestured with her chin towards the window where the snow still swirled. "Call it off."

"Keep in mind," Zero seethed. "That if you choose to attack again, I will have it returned, full-force."

The Witch held up what appeared to be a small, square mirror at first glance. Azkadellia knew it was enchanted ice, capable of relaying messages from Zero to whoever was controlling Tempest. She looked at him coldly. "You'll do that, anyway."

"On my honor, I won't." Even he couldn't keep a straight face at that.

Hoping she had given Ambrose and Cain enough time, she took the urn from Zero. Immediately, she felt it draw her power, sapping her strength. As everything faded to black, she saw Zero smile as he took the urn. "We have it. Find Cain and the Headcase. We're headed north."


	19. Chapter 19

When DG opened her blue eyes early the next morning, she found six sets of beady ones looking right back at her. With a gasp she sat up and discovered that she was surrounded. Everywhere she looked, there were more mice. They sat on their gear and the horses' saddles, stumps, logs, whatever. There had to be hundreds of them. Across the smoldering fire, Raw was lying flat on his back, still asleep, but giggling as four or five of the little creatures ran up and down his stomach.

Confused, but not precisely uneasy, DG reached out to grab Jeb's shoulder and give it a shake

"Jeb. Jeb, wake up."

There was a groan as he came back to consciousness. He scrubbed his face with his hands. "It's a little early even for you."

"We have company."

Jeb raised up on his elbows and started. "Geez."

From the pack, one particularly brazen brown mouse ran forward and plopped down on his haunches before Jeb. The whiskers quivered a bit.

"We are grateful, good sir." DG bit back a gasp as the small creature spoke. It was not the high cartoony voice one might expect, but rather a mellow and stately tone.

Jeb took it in stride admirably though a fleeting shadow of shock passed over his features. "What service have I done you, friend?"

Again, the whiskers twitched. "Last evening, you saved her Royal Majesty, the Queen of the Mice from almost certain death."

DG smiled when Jeb's mouse, the one he had pulled from the stream, trotted up to sit alongside the first. She was more regal and had a dignified air about her. "I am deeply indebted to you, Jeb. There are not many of your kind that would have bothered with the likes of me."

"It was my pleasure to be of service." Jeb carefully moved to a sitting position. He inclined his head as a sign of respect.

The little mouse queen held her head high. "Mortimer, if you please."

The brown mouse cleared his throat. "I hereby name you Sir Jeb, Knight of the Mouse Realm, Savior to her Royal Majesty, Queen Pavel."

"I accept this great honor proudly."

This seemed to please all of the mice very much. They bounced around happily. And even still, Raw slept on.

"I also have a gift for you." Queen Pavel looked over her shoulder.

From the woods came six mice, supporting a long, silver whistle not unlike the one DG had seen used to call dogs. The furry little Honor Guard scurried over and presented it to Jeb.

"When you have need," The Mouse Queen said as he accepted it. "Just call us. My subjects will come and obey your commands."

Jeb nodded again. "Thank you . . . Your Majesty."

The little creature gazed at him, wisdom in her small eyes. "I urge you to not underestimate this gift, Sir Jeb. You may find us more capable then you know. Small, yes. But also determined and cunning."

"I promise I'll use it if I have need."

The mouse then turned unexpectedly to DG. "Young Highness, please pass along my well-wishes to your mother."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Oh, yeah. Her mother was going to hear about this! Why hadn't anyone told her mice could talk in the O.Z.? She loved this place.

"Thank you again for your kindness, Sir Jeb." The Queen Mouse said as her followers began to disperse. "We leave you to your journey."

And with that, the guard reformed around Queen Pavel and quickly escorted her back into the safety of the dense forest leaf litter. Jeb stared at the whistle in his hand and then looked to DG. "What do you think about that?"

"No good deed goes unpunished." She chirped back, smiling.

Jeb gave an amused "huh" as Raw suddenly came back to the land of the living, his senses picking up on the vestiges of all the little souls that had just left the clearing. "What happened?"

DG laughed as she began to pick up her bedroll. "Raw, you could sleep through anything. Jeb just got knighted."

The Viewer looked at her quizzically. "Knighted?"

Beside her, Jeb was rolling the Queen Mouse's gift between his fingers. "This trip just keeps getting weirder."

Cain ducked as Glitch aimed a fist for his head. "How could you do that?"

Spinning away, he grabbed his friend's arm and managed to pin it to his back. Glitch's anger had made him less precise and Cain was glad for it. He seriously doubted that he could have taken him hand-to-hand, given Cain's current state of health and Glitch's physical prowess.

With just the weight his body, Cain forced Glitch to his knees. "Listen to me."

Glitch fought it, but really didn't have any choice but to hear. "Get off!"

"We're going after her." Cain stuck with him as he struggled. "But if we had charged back into that apartment, we'd be dead and she wouldn't stand a chance."

Glitch stopped struggling. "She should have come down the tunnel with us."

"She bought us time." The passage came out in an abandoned building beside the LaRue's apartment complex. "They would have found us immediately if she hadn't."

In the lull of the storm, Connalee had led them to a small, underground bunker she said that had been used to store stolen merchandise before it was sent to cities in the north. The crime ring that had apparently used it had shifted its base of operations to where they could better supply the goods for demand.

Glitch was still a tightened coil beneath him. Cain said softly. "I know what you're going through, all right? But we won't lose her. I promise."

The man relaxed and Cain released his grip on his wrists. Before he could move, Glitch wheeled on him and clipped him right across the jaw with his fist. It was a pretty good punch and it sprawled the Tin Man across the concrete floor. He wasn't jumping right back to his up, that was for sure.

Glitch appeared in his line of vision, the anger replaced by concern. "Cain?"

"Feel better?"

"Not particularly." He put a hand under Cain's shoulders and helped him to a sitting position. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live." _I think. _He looked to Dr. LaRue. "Sorry for the dramatics."

"It's understandable." Bren cawed from his shoulder as LaRue smiled.

Cain sighed. "We need a plan."

"Well, we were kind of already working on one." Glitch reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, metal sphere. It was about the size of a small grapefruit and extremely uninspiring.

"What is that?"

"It's an Argoninan gas bomb."

Clearly, this was supposed to mean something in Glitch-speak. "And?"

"Dr. LaRue was explaining to me about the Tempest's power source. The generator has a Seladium power core."

"And?" Cain prompted again, trying to remember to be patient.

"Seladium is a very precious and rare element." LaRue took up the thread. "When a bit of electricity is passed through it, it omits a great deal of energy."

"How much energy?" Cain asked.

"Enough for a hundred grams of the stuff to power Central City for two years." Glitch told him.

"That's why Zero has been rounding up villagers." Cain put it together. "This stuff has to be mined doesn't it?"

"Yes," LaRue said grimly, "And fortunately for the Suket, the territory that they inhabit sits upon one of the largest supplies of Seladium ever discovered."

Cain sighed. "Of course it does."

"But this," Glitch hefted the sphere. "Can neutralize the core. Argonian gas reacts with Seladium. Just a little bit will cause the entire machine to implode."

Cain was still doubtful as he looked at the contraption. "That's what you two were working on yesterday?"

The scientists nodded.

"Where'd you get the materials?"

"It's made from everyday kitchen items." LaRue replied proudly. "Frying pan for the casing, clock gears for the detonator. I sent Connalee for some fireworks from which to distill the gas."

Cain rubbed his temples. He was going to fight a civilization of demented snow demons with a recycled frying pan. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Reasonably." Glitch looked at him intently. "The only question is how we're going to get Azkadellia out of there before we blow the sucker."

"We'll think of something."

The door to the bunker opened and Connalee's lithe form slipped through it. Since she knew the city better than the others, reconnaissance had fallen to her. "The snow has stopped, it is headed north."

"The Suket are using the last of the light to speed their return to the Unnamed Mountains." LaRue reasoned.

"The last of the light?" Glitch repeated. "You mean the last of DG's light?"

"I'm afraid without the bearer to regenerate it, the light will be extinguished." LaRue replied.

Cain sighed. All this trouble and he wasn't even going to be able to get the kid her Light back. "We can't worry about that, now. We need to save Azkadellia."

"With a path of cold and ice from Tempest to guide them, they can move day and night."

"Then we haven't got a lot of time." Cain stood up. "Connalee."

"Yes?"

"I need you to ride to Finaqua. Report directly to the Queen and tell her everything that has happened." He looked to Glitch. "Tell her that Ambrose and I are going after her daughter and any help she can send would be more than welcome."

The woman looked to her father. He smiled. "I can look after myself now, child. You have more important matters to attend."

She nodded resolutely. "I shall be there by tomorrow morning."

With a quick squeeze and a beseeching plea to remain safe to her father, the young woman headed for the door. "Ms. LaRue?"

She turned back at Cain's call. "Yes?"

"If we make it through this, just remember that the Tin Men are still looking for a few good people."

She smiled before she disappeared through the door.

Cain turned to Glitch. "How's your rhythm?"

"As good as ever." He said determinedly.

Cain nodded. "Then let's get going."


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N**: Wow! 20 whole chapters._ _Jeb, DG, and Raw have a few more adventures. They're having all the fun while poor Cain and Glitch are chasing the bad guys._

_Read and Review!_

_Tamesis _

* * *

"Hey!" DG scolded Speedy as the horse splashed in the water. "Look, I know this game, okay? It's the one where you wait til my back is turned and then roll around in the stream with all of my stuff. I don't like this game."

Upstream where he was filling canteens, Jeb called to her. "You know he doesn't speak English, right?"

"For your information," DG panted, hauling the horse's head up as his knees started to buckle. "It happens to make me feel better."

"What ever you say, Princess." He laughed before turning back to the task.

DG couldn't help but smile a little herself at him before turning her attention back to the obnoxious horse."All right, that's it. If you're not thirsty, you're getting out of the pool."

According to Jeb, the Dark Forest wasn't too much farther up the road. He didn't know much about it. No one did, since the locals apparently steered clear of the area. Choosing to be safe rather than sorry, Jeb had found a small stream to fill their canteens and water the horses. He expressed a doubt that they would want to be drinking anything in the Dark Forest anyway.

Speedy looked a little disappointed when she hauled him up the stream's bank and led him to a tree. She tied him and reached for the reins of Jeb's horse next. The bay wasn't the obnoxious brat that Speedy could be. He would go to the stream and drink his fill, all without benefit of a wallow.

"Hang on." Jeb was coming back, tightening the lid on one of the canteens he was carrying. "I've got one more in the saddle bags."

DG pulled the horse to a stop and watched as Jeb patted the horse's flank fondly and unbuckled the bag. He found the canteen and pulled out three pears, the last of the provisions given to them by the residents of Fielder. He handed one to her and tossed one to Raw who was still standing near the stream with his horse.

As DG took a bite of the delicious fruit, her mind drifted back to Fielder and Crowley. She prayed with everything she had that they were still alive. Looking down the brick road, she wondered how much farther they would have to go. Hopefully, the City of Emeralds wouldn't be too far beyond the Dark Forest. She had a nasty feeling that time was running out.

The core of the pear went to the bay horse before DG started him forward again. She had made it all of two steps when something fluttering across the ground caught her eye. As she stooped to pick it up, she realized it was a photo. Flipping it over, she smiled, recognizing the woman with the wavy, honey colored hair and Jeb's blue eyes.

It was of Jeb and his mother. Adora Cain stood with her hand on her son's shoulder, smiling at him. DG realized with a pang of sadness that this must have been taken not too long before the woman's death.

Adora was dressed in dark pants and a light shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up her forearms. With a tinge of confusion, DG realized there was gun on her hip and in the background, tents not unlike the ones DG had seen when Cain, Raw, and Glitch had brought her to the Resistance camp.

"Hey!" The picture was snatched from her hands. Jeb was furious. "Where did you get that?"

"From the ground." DG replied hotly, almost surprised by the tone she hadn't heard from him in days. "It must have fallen out of your bag when you were rooting around in there. I saved it from blowing away."

She saw the anger ebb away to be replaced by a sheepish look. "Well, then thanks. It's pretty important to me."

"I'll bet." DG softened and asked. "Your Mom was part of the Resistance, wasn't she?"

Slowly, Jeb nodded as Raw approached. "She led the Southern Resistance for three years. I took over from her after she was killed."

"Three years?" DG felt her jaw slacken. "You mean all of those things, those raids and attacks? Your mother planned those?"

There was a sad smile on his face. "Yes, she did. I learned from one of the best."

"I don't get it." DG said, astonished. "Why didn't you say something? Your mother did great things. You should be proud."

"My father's not." There was hurt in Jeb's blue eyes as he looked at her. "He told me, I should have protected her. I shouldn't have let her do it. He blames me for her death."

"Cain didn't say that."

"He didn't have to." Jeb's voice was hard. "He'd rather have her than me."

"Father love Jeb." Raw put in. "But has much guilt for himself."

"Listen to me." DG grabbed Jeb by the shoulders and looked him square in the eye. "I know he's your father and I haven't known him that long, but there are few things that you need to know about Wyatt Cain."

"And you're going to tell me?" The expression was half-irritated and half-amused by her presumption that she could tell him more about his own father than he already knew.

"If anybody has that right, Raw and I do. We have traveled the O.Z. with him. He's one of the best men I've ever had the privilege to meet. He's a good friend."

"Brave man." Raw put in.

"He's got a heart as big as the all outdoors, no matter how tough he tries to be. When somebody suffers, he feels it. He makes it his responsibility to stop it. Geez, Jeb, that's for people he doesn't even know."

"Like DG and Glitch and Raw." Raw smiled.

"Yeah. Who else was going to chase after us?" DG laughed to Raw before she squeezed Jeb's arm. "And through that whole trip, all he could think about was finding you and your mother. He is so proud of you, Jeb."

"Maybe he was. Before."

"Still." DG corrected. "You know that tin horse that he made for you?"

Jeb nodded.

"He carried that thing all the way from the cabin. Every where he went, he had it." DG smiled, "And he still does."

The young man looked at her, still not speaking. He wanted to believe this so much. She saw it is in face.

"You can see it. Right under his vest in his shirt pocket. Right over his heart. Does that sound like a guy who wishes his son was dead?"

"Is that true?" Jeb's voice was quiet.

"Yeah, it is." DG replied just as softly. "You two are going to have to help each other through this. You've got a lot of time to make up for. Don't waste it just because you think you know what he's feeling."

Jeb ducked his head and nodded. "I'll try."

"No try. Just do." DG let him go and smacked him lightly on the chest. "It's easier than you might think with your dad."

"Okay." There was an accepting air about Jeb as he stepped back, a little embarrassed that for once, his emotions had gotten the better of him. "Let's get moving. The sooner I get back the sooner I can face my father."

DG smiled at Raw. There was an underlying cynicism, but she was confident it would all be okay. "Look, the worst he can do is kill you."

Jeb shook his head. "The worst he can do is walk away."

"He won't do that."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Going back to Speedy, DG checked her cinch and swung up. She rode back to where Jeb and Raw stood waiting for her as Jeb allowed his horse to drink.

There was a mask of unreadable neutrality on Jeb's face again. "You know, Dad just might kill me, considering I'm letting you run rampant all over the O.Z."

She noted the use of 'Dad' instead of 'my father' as she grinned. ""I'll protect you."

"I bet you will." Jeb said as he nudged his horse forward and guided him down the road.

* * *

"I don't like this place." DG said as Speedy danced around nervously beneath her.

Jeb had to concur as a large bird cawed strangely from the dead trees above them. They had entered the forest hours ago and the oppressive atmosphere had only gotten thicker as they went.

Heavy purple clouds had inexplicably moved in as soon as they reached the gnarled trees of the Dark Forest. He could feel eyes on him, even spotting several sets of amber, glowing orbs peering out at him from the gloom until the animal attached to them darted into the underbrush. There was always something watching them and it was making his skin crawl.

His own mount, usually unflappable, snorted and pricked his ears. "Let's just keep moving."

DG ran a hand down Speedy's neck in an attempt to calm him. "Take it easy, fella. There aren't' any bears out there."

"There are bears." Raw replied.

"You're not helping."

Jeb sighed as his horse jumped backwards, frightened by some small, shapeless animal that had skittered across the road. He was done. No way was he getting dumped on his butt in the middle of the brick path. Kicking away his stirrups, he slid from the saddle.

DG and Raw followed suit as he said. "We're going to have to find a place to camp, soon."

"Jeb, I will give you five bucks if you tell me we can just keep on riding." DG looked around, making sure nothing was sneaking up on them.

"Is 'five bucks' really something I'd want?"

"I don't know what the O.Z. / American dollar exchange rate is, but I'm telling you it's a good deal."

A noise on the road ahead caught his attention. "Did you hear that?"

"That's not funny." DG scolded, apparently thinking he was trying to be juvenille.

"I'm serious." He shushed them all, and then it became clear. There were voices, yelling, threatening and the sound of hooves on the brick road. "Get off of the road!"

They dragged the reluctant horses off into the trees, hiding them in the shadows and staying close to them to keep them from making noise. Still, they were close enough to see who had also found this old route.

They didn't have to wait long. Within minutes, the source of the noise appeared. Half a dozen Long Coats were coming down the road. Two were mounted. The other four had guns, holding them on the roughly twenty people they had shackled and chained between them. As they watched, one of the Long Coats used the barrel of his rifle to hit a boy of no more than twelve annuals right across the back when the exhausted youth stumbled.

Jeb was getting good. He was on top of DG before the princess could rush out and attempt to tear the man apart with her bare hands. He clamped a hand over her mouth. "We'll do something, all right? Just hang on."

The men led their charges past and Jeb released his grip on DG. Surprisingly, she was calm. "What'll we do?"

"They're going to have to stop soon, too." Jeb replied, pulling his rifle from the scabbard. "I'll follow them and see where they make camp."

"I'll go with you."

He thought about arguing, but one look at her face remedied that. "Raw, stay with the horses."

He gave the Long Coats a few more seconds before taking DG's hand. "Stick close and be quiet."

Making sure there was no rear guard, he trotted quietly up the path, keeping alert for any sounds of trouble. DG's wide blue eyes searched the growing darkness as she squeezed his hand a little tighter.

They didn't have far to go. About a quarter of a span up the brick road, Jeb heard the unmistakable clamor of camp being set. Motioning to DG he pulled her into the woods.

The Long Coats were setting up in a small clearing. Jeb and DG settled on the rise above it to observe the proceedings. Two of the men guarded the prisoners who had been settled about fifty feet from where two tents were being pitched. Another man was starting a fire near the center of the camp.

The men and women being held captive huddled together miserably, looking fearfully about them as they considered the dangers of their captors and the Dark Forest. Jeb felt for them and the heat in his blood rose as one of the guards bullied a woman and her child that sat near his feet.

They were close enough to hear the men's voices as they crouched together in the darkness. The guard sneered. "Better be good. We're all that's keeping the beasties of the Dark Forest at bay."

The other picked up the vein. "That's right. I've heard tell of all manner of strange creatures in here."

"Would it be the Kalidahs you speak of?"

The people cringed at the name. The first guard laughed. "Nasty bit of business they are."

"Good," Jeb said softly, "They're already scared."

"What?" DG asked. "They're scaring those poor people. They aren't scared."

"Trust me. They're scared." He nodded. "C'mon. We need to go get Raw."

He grabbed her hand again and together they quietly made their way back to the road. As near as he could tell, the suns had set. The clouds were beginning to part a bit and by his reckoning there would be a nearly full moon. Perfect.

When they were a fair ways from the Long Coat camp again, DG spoke softly. "What were they talking about? Kalidahs?"

"It's an old legend associated with these woods. Its part of the reason very few people come in here." Jeb hurried along. "Supposedly, they have bodies like bears and heads like tigers."

"But they aren't real, right?"

"I guess about as real 'Sass Mo' or whatever you called it."

"Sasquatch." DG replied as they turned off of the road towards where Raw was still hiding. "And that's not reassuring."

"It should be." Jeb grinned. "Because we're about to bring a legend to life."

His eyes fell on Raw as he pulled the silver whistle from his pocket.


	21. Chapter 21

"Raw no do this."

Jeb looked around as DG smiled and put a hand on Raw's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

He frowned. "Itchy."

"Sorry." DG did look sympathetic as she pushed his hand away from his face. "That's probably the pine sap."

"Could be the horsehair." Jeb put in, trying not to smile.

As if to highlight the indignity, Speedy swished his considerably shorter tail. DG kissed the animal's nose. "It's all in the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There's probably a medal in this for you."

Jeb came closer to inspect her work. "A medal for a horse?"

"Horses are people, too."

Jeb snorted but looked at Raw in the moonlight. After Jeb had cut it, DG had used Speedy's tail to completely cover the man's face, bare arms, and bare legs. In the darkness, Raw cut a monstrous figure.

If they could get him to act the part.

"Are you sure this is what a Kalidah looks like?" DG asked.

"I don't know. I've never seen one." Jeb smiled. "And neither have those soldiers."

"How do you know that?" DG asked.

"Because if they had ever seen one, they'd be dead." Jeb reasoned. "If the legends about Kalidahs are true."

Raw was still nervous. "What if Raw mess up?"

DG put a hand on his shoulder. "You won't mess up. You'll be fine. There are people down there that need our help. Jeb and I will be right there with you."

Raw took a deep breath and even though he was still nervous, he looked a little more resigned to his task.

"Sir Jeb!" It took a minute for him to locate the source of the tiny voice. As the Queen Mouse promised, her subjects had flocked to his aid as soon as he had called with the whistle. He knelt down carefully as the little mouse ran up. "Everything is ready. There are only two men yet awake and they guard the prisoners."

"Good." Jeb picked the mouse up and deposited him on his shoulder before he turned to DG and Raw. He felt the familiar excitement of executing a plan rising in the pit of his stomach . "It's show time."

DG shook her head. "You live for stuff like this, don't you?"

He didn't answer as he grinned and picked up his rifle.

The three moved stealthily up the brick road. Near where DG and Jeb had hid earlier, Raw left them, hurrying a little farther up the path before disappearing into the trees. The noises of the night hid their rustlings as Jeb, DG, and their little mouse friend descended into the woods.

The prisoners with their guards were closer to the camp then they had been before, but still remained on the outskirts. The mouse jumped from Jeb's shoulder and scampered across the campsite towards the tents, unnoticed by the guards.

DG and Jeb remained on the fringes of the forest. He counted to ten and right on cue, rustlings started in the woods just east of their position.

They were enough to get one of the guard's attention, loud enough to roust his suspicions. He looked to his comrade. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Clearly, the second man had been on his way to sleeping on duty.

"There's something in those bushes."

"You don't say?" Sarcasm was heavy in the man's voice. "In the Dark Forest? I'm shocked."

Raw rustled again, more forcefully. This time, the second guard noticed. "What is that?"

Some of the prisoners had noticed the noise as well and were getting edgy. The first guard sneered. "Probably my imagination."

It was then that Raw stood. The long hair that hung from his body made him seem larger and more dangerous, the shadows making the sight even more horrible. The moon shown down on him, glinting off of the long, matted hair as it hung from his arms. The shadows cast across his face, the effect giving the Viewer a more gruesome appearance then Jeb had hoped for. With a guttural roar, he ran at the men, arms raised.

Both of the guards screamed, and fumbled clumsily with their weapons.

"NOW!" Jeb yelled as he leapt from the bushes. The men didn't have time to react as he brought the butt of the rifle down on the first's head, before swinging it around to knock the second senseless.

At his mark, the tents had fallen, trapping the Long Coats that slept there beneath the canvas. Earlier, the mice had chewed the ropes that held the tents up to the point of almost breaking. When he had called, it had been simple enough for the mice to finish bringing them down in an impromptu net. He grinned as he saw the Long Coats fumbling around blindly, screaming for help.

Reaching down, he pulled the keys from one of the guards and tossed them to DG who had followed him out of hiding to stop the prisoners from taking flight. They were breathing hard, but they hadn't stampeded. She unlocked two of the men from their shackles and Jeb called them over, handing each of them a weapon he had taken from the guards.

They were still awestruck as he ordered them to cover the Long Coats. Their eyes darted between Raw who was watching the unconscious guards, Jeb, and the jumping canvas. "C'mon, gents. We're trying to save your hides, here."

The men shook off the shock and concentrated on the Long Coats they were supposed to be apprehending.

DG had unlocked the rest of the prisoners and ran over, carrying the open manacles. "Here, Jeb."

The first Long Coat had managed his way from his tent. Jeb pointed the muzzle of rifle right between his eyes. "If you'd be so kind as to stand up."

The man complied and Jeb noted that no one could look threatening when wearing only underwear. "What are you going to do with us?"

"I'll think of something."

* * *

"Nothing?" Orianah asked doubtfully. "You can get nothing from the prisoners?"

"It is my opinion, Your Majesty," General Ritnik replied, "that we can get nothing from the Long Coat prisoners because they know nothing. Zero has skillfully kept them in the dark."

The General had arrived early in the afternoon at the Queen's insistence. Ritnik was one of the few who had remained loyal to her through the Witch's rise to power. He was another dear friend that had sacrificed much in the name of that loyalty. Orianah had not forgotten.

Ahamo spoke from his position near the window. "What of the captives they have been gathering? Has any of them confessed as to why or where they are taking them?"

Ritnik shook his balding head. "Only that after the prisoners are captured, they are taken north through the Dark Forest on Zero's orders. Most of the patrols tasked with this do not return."

Orianah shared a look with her husband and faithful Tutor who stood near him. Ahamo nodded slightly. At least they were getting a vague idea of where their enemy was. Zero was keeping his alliance with the Ice Witches very close, indeed. There were no witnesses, even among his Long Coats, that would return to tell any tales.

Ritnik sipped his tea and gave Orianah an appraising look. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I wish I could be more candid." She said, regretfully, "But I fear that if I do not tread carefully, my family would suffer for it."

The general was piecing together what she was saying. "I am one of your most trusted friends, My Lady."

"I know that." With her eyes, she pleaded for a change of subject.

With a sigh, he nodded. "We have had some interesting news from the northeast that I thought you might like to hear."

Orianah tried to be subtle as she looked to her husband. DG had gone to the northeast, but odds were good that Ritnik's news had little to do with that.

"I'm pleased to tell you that the Crowley and Fielder feud is at an end."

"Oh?" Orianah felt the corners of her mouth quirk. She had always hoped those two towns could settle their differences. The quarrel had started when her grandmother was reigning and the woman had flat out refused to get into the middle of the situation. Orianah had agreed that sometimes even a queen could not intercede.

"Indeed." Ritnik smiled. "And just in time to beat the dickens out of a battalion of Long Coats that were coming to pay them a visit. A few of their messengers arrived in Central City right before I left and relayed the news."

"I'm very glad the reconciliation was so well-timed." Orianah smiled as she thought of the Long Coats under fire from something as absurd as pumpkin cannons. "And what brought about this peace treaty?"

"According to the couriers, a Viewer was able to feel the events that had transpired to cause the misunderstanding." Ritnik, smiled. It was his turn to convey silent meaning as he looked from Orianah to Ahamo.

_She's alive_. Orianah thought with a relieved smile.

Her revelry was ended abruptly when a commotion outside the study door intruded. There was the sound of scuffling followed by a cry of pain and a nasty oath. The doors swung open hard enough for them to bounce on the walls behind them.

In the doorway, looking travel-worn and panting, was a lovely woman with long, black hair and brown eyes. Behind her, two of the Queen's guards were picking themselves up off of the floor.

The visitor immediately dropped to a knee, speaking with a slight accent. "Your Majesty. I am sorry for the intrusion. I come on behalf of the Tin Man, Wyatt Cain."

The guards had regained their composure and were heading towards the perceived threat. Orianah held up a hand to stave them off. "Who are you?"

"Connalee LaRue, Your Majesty."

She stared in disbelief, but recognized the girl she once knew. "Come in, my child."

Ahamo moved to close the doors, allowing Mary to sidle in. He gave the young girl a smile. "We still have refreshments, dear."

"I thought perhaps you would need more, My Lord." Mary slipped the first tea service from the table with grace and replaced it with the one she held. "You seem to have quite a few guests today."

With a bow of respect to Ahamo and one to Orianah, the child made to leave the room.

Something clicked as Orianah watched the handmaid leave. All of those missions, all of those secrets . . .all of them discussed over a cup of tea.

Her lavender eyes set on Tutor so intensely that the man looked up instantly. She shifted her gaze and nodded towards the door. He nodded slowly before stepping forward, shifting and changing until he had converted to his dog form. With a small whine, he ran across the floor and disappeared down the hall.

Connalee gasped and Orianah saw the danger. If her hunch was right they needed to keep up appearances until Toto could get in to position.

"And where did you say you were from again?" Orianah urged her, trying to convey in her look that the young woman needed to follow her lead.

"Rigmar, Your Majesty." Connalee repeated in confusion. "I bear news of your daughter."

Ahamo stepped to the door and looked down the hall. All of the sudden, Toto's short, yapping barks rang out. He was out of the room in a flash.

Orianah grabbed the cream pitcher from the tray as she stood to follow him. It was cold in her hand and even with her diminished magical ability, she could sense the dark magic at work on the silver.

Ritnik and Connalee were behind her as she made her way up the hall. When they reached the room, Toto was still standing attentively, pointing at Mary who stood with her back to the wall in the small sitting room. Her wide blue eyes took in Ahamo and Orianah and the others that had followed her down the hall. In the girl's hand, she held a small, square mirror.

"Mary, Mary . . ." Ahamo said quietly. "All this time."

"My Lord," the young woman tried to smile as she spoke nervously. "I-I don't understand what this is all about."

Orianah held out her hand, "Give me the mirror."

Suddenly, the youthful face turned cold and hard. "No."

"It's over, Mary." Orianah said, hand still out. "They'll be no more messages to your superior. Give it to me."

Rage twisted the girl's face. Then, with a scream of wrath, she raised the mirror over her head and sent it smashing to the floor. The mirror broke, the little pieces scattering across the wooden floor. The broken, enchanted ice immediately began to evaporate and Orianah felt the dark magic leave the piece of silver she was still holding.

"It doesn't matter." There was a crazed, even demented look in Mary's eyes. "We have your precious first-born, Orianah. It's over."

Orianah took a step forward and had the pleasure of seeing some of that haughtiness leave the witch. "Not hardly."

She motioned to the two guards that had come running at Ritnik's call. "Lock her in her chambers. Two guards are to be posted inside at all times. If she moves, take extreme action."

The girl hissed and spat as the guards hooked her under the arms and carried her from the room. Orianah spun around to address Connalee. "They have my daughter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Where are they?"

"The Unnamed Mountains, north of the Winkian Plains. The Tin Man and your advisor have already started to pursue them."

Orianah was already moving out the door. "Courier!"

The little man with dark hair and glasses appeared almost instantly at her elbow. "Your Majesty?"

"I need two crows." She said as she continued to stride down the hall. "One to General Gayelette the other to General Caye. I want them to muster all of the troops they have available and meet in the Winkian Plains. I'll provide a rendezvous point."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"General Ritnik."

"My Lady?"

"I want your soldiers ready to ride for the Winkian Plains in two hours."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Ms Connalee."

"Your Majesty?"

She led the young woman back into the study. "Tell me everything you know."

* * *

"We can't thank you enough." The gnarled old man shook Jeb's hand and then DG's. "We're all grateful."

The sun was shining in the Dark Forest today. DG, Jeb, and Raw had passed the night with the released prisoners, getting them organized for their trip back to the south. When the suns had risen, it was to a cloudless blue sky.

"It was our pleasure." Jeb returned. "Just follow the brick road west. You'll come to a crossroads. If you go straight, you'll find a path that will lead you a small town called Ruby Hollow. You can make your way to Central City from there"

"And be careful." DG encouraged. "There are still more Long Coats roaming around out there."

"We'll try." The man looked around. "Where's your Viewer friend? I wanted to thank him, too."

"Oh, um." DG gave Jeb a pained look. "He's uh. . . "

"Still trying to get the horse hair off." Jeb smiled. "He's a little surly."

The man laughed, hefting his sack full of provisions. "Tell him that we express our gratitude."

"We'll do that." Jeb and DG both waved as the people set out back the way they themselves had just come. The two horses were now carrying a small girl and an older man and at the end of the procession, a group of men held guns on the manacled Long Coats.

DG watched them go. "I hope they make it to Central City."

"It's the best we could do for them." Jeb looked down at her. "We've got our own adventure to be getting on with."

She smiled back as a little voice called from their feet. "Do you require any other assistance, sir and lady?"

Jeb knelt down to speak to the small group of mice. "No, little friend. The Mouse Kingdom did themselves proud. Tell Queen Pavel that I am most grateful for your assistance."

The little creatures sketched a quick bow. "It was our pleasure to be of service." And with that, they dispersed among the trees and underbrush, leaving DG and Jeb alone.

He moved away, heading for their horses. "We had better round up Raw and get moving."

"Jeb?"

He stopped and turned, but she was quiet, seeming to fumble with the words she wanted to say. "I'm glad you came."

"Me, too."


	22. Chapter 22

_You all probably think I don't have a life, what with all the posts. The truth is, this whole story has been done for about a month and it keeps staring at me through the computer screen saying "Post me! Post me!"_

_And quite frankly, we're coming down the homestretch, so I'm more inclined to give in. Let me know what you think of this chapter. I was kind of anxious to post it. (It was one of the first parts of the plot that came to me.) _

* * *

"We have to be getting close." DG told Raw as they rode on. They had left the forest not long after the people they had freed had departed. "I just can't help feeling like time is running out." 

Raw smiled at her. "Not too much farther. Raw sure."

DG drew back on Speedy's bridle and swung down. "Anyone else want an apple?"

Jeb, looking tired after their lack of sleep the night before, nodded. "Sounds good."

Growing alongside the old road were impossibly old-looking apple trees. They were gnarled and scarred from their years of withstanding the elements. She could feel their history calling out to her as she reached for an apple on a lower branch.

"DG!" Raw called. "Must ask first."

Her hand stopped just short of plucking the fruit from the bough as she turned to give a Raw a quizzical look. "What?"

"You're friend is quite correct." The voice was old and twangy, reminiscent of a bullfrog. "To take without asking is stealing."

Jeb was by her side in an instant as DG's eyes darted back and forth as she searched for the source of the voice. "Who said that?"

"I did." To her amazement, a face materialized in the bark of the old tree before her. The face was gnarled by the bark, giving the tree the look of an wizened old man. There was a wisdom about him that bespoke of the centuries that he observed life in the Outer Zone and DG felt that she had never before stood in the presence of a being more who knew more about the ways of the world. Gray eyes stared back at her critically as the mouth moved again. "Do you mean to steal from me?"

Would she ever learn all the secrets of this place? "No sir. I just wanted an apple for lunch. I didn't mean to offend you."

The tree studied her, measuring her. Then, one of the lower branches reached up and plucked a beautiful red apple from a higher branch. With unbelievable grace, he presented it to her. "Enjoy, Your Highness."

The tree reached back for more fruit for Jeb and Raw.

"How do you know who she is?" Jeb demanded. The tree threw the apple right into his chest for his insolence.

"Jeb, it's okay." DG assured him as Raw moved to join them. "How _do_ you know who I am?"

There was a grating, rough sound and they realized the tree was laughing. "You are not the first Gayle to wander these woods and try to pluck something off of me."

A slow grin spread across her face. "Dorothy was an apple thief, too?"

The tree studied her. "You look very much like her. And, of course, I saw your Light."

DG saw a confused look come to Jeb's face as she answered. "That's not possible. You see, sir, that's why we're out here. My Light was taken from me."

"Really? That's interesting. And how did that supposedly happen?"

"An Ice Witch stole it from me." There was a lump in her throat as she confessed this.

There was a knowing way about the ancient tree. "Ah, then you mean your magical ability was taken from you."

"Isn't that the same thing as my Light?" DG exchanged a look with Raw.

"It most certainly is not." The tree's branches swayed as if he was irritated. "Don't you know what you're Light is, child?"

"Apparently not."

"The gift of the House of Gayle," the tree began reverently, "is so much more than magic. Every member of your family is given this exquisite talent. And it began with your great- great- grandmother. Do you know her story?"

"Well, yes. Most of it. She landed in the O.Z. and followed the yellow brick road to the City of Emeralds."

"And what of her companions. What do you know of them?"

She thought back to the story that Jeb had told her. "There was a Scarecrow who wanted brains, a lion with no courage, and a man made out of tin that had no heart. They all went with Dorothy to find those things."

"Did they find them?"

"They found out that they had them all along."

"How?"

"What do you mean 'how'?" DG replied. "There were challenges all up and down this road. If they hadn't used their brains, or hearts, or guts, they would have never made it."

"No, Princess DG." The tree said gently. "What made them realize their full potential?"

"Didn't I just answer that question?"

"It was Dorothy, DG." Jeb said, quietly. "It was their friendship with her that made them see what they could truly be."

"Yes." The tree spoke again. "Dorothy's Gift is not magic. She herself was nothing but a simple farm girl when she arrived in the O.Z. It is her ability to see the good in all beings and to see their light, even if they can't see it themselves. This gift can be returned in friendship and love."

"DG see intelligence in Glitch." Raw put a hand on her shoulder. "And courage in Raw."

"And a heart in a broken Tin Man." Jeb put in. "Even when his own son couldn't."

DG felt the weight of this settle on her shoulders. "I've always seen the good in everybody. It's just how I am."

"I assure you, it is a rare and precious gift. Perhaps, on the other side, it is simply an all-too-rare virtue. In the Outer Zone, it not only fuels your magical abilities," The tree pointed his branch toward a bush across the road, "but, it can inspire others to greatness."

Looking uncertainly at the tree once more, DG crossed the road to the bush. She realized as she approached that this wasn't a shrub. It was ivy, grown up thick over something beneath it. Starting at the top, she pulled back the vine and gasped. "It's the Tin Man."

With Raw and Jeb's help, she managed to untangle the rest of the vegetation. The Tin Man stood about six feet tall. His features flawlessly resembled those of a human man, but they were molded in tin. His face, which DG wouldn't have believed could look so real, held a gentleness about it even though it was made from unfeeling metal. On his chest was pinned a pocket watch in the shape of a red heart. It filled her with grief to see that the hands were no longer turning.

"Do you know the story of the Tin Man, Your Highness?" The tree asked.

DG shook her head.

"His is a sad tale. He was once human, a handsome woodsman, who fell in love with a lovely maiden. But when her mother disapproved of the love, she consulted a Witch enchanted the woodsman's axe to pierce his own heart. To add to his misery, the Witch imprisoned his soul in this body of tin, devoid of a loving heart. He wandered these woods until he rusted in the rain and the fall of his own tears."

"That's so sad." DG looked down at the Tin Man's chest where the watch was pinned.

"Life went on, though. Dorothy found and rescued the pitiful creature. It was along his journey with her that he found he still had the capacity to love and that others could still love him."

"Why is he like this?" DG asked. "He should live forever, shouldn't he? Tin bodies can't wear out."

"But souls can. And hearts can break." The tree said. "After Dorothy's passing, all three of her companions followed. The Scarecrow went back to the east and was never heard from again. The Lion, already old, passed on. And the Tin Man, after ensuring the Light of Dorothy would always be protected, came here to leave his tin prison forever."

"How did he ensure the Light would always be protected?" Jeb asked.

"Look to his right hand."

All three of them looked, but it was DG who spoke quietly. "His first finger is missing."

"He left that behind for the next guardian of the House of Gayle. He had it forged into a symbol so that those who came after him would always remember. A star, for the Light undying . . ."

"And a circle," Jeb said, "for undying loyalty to it."

"The first badge of a Tin Man." DG felt tears behind her eyes.

"What is it, Princess, that your Tutor always tells you to do before you attempt to use your magic?"

She looked to the tree, maybe for the first time, truly understanding the words. "To let the Light flow through me."

"Then, perhaps," he said, slowly. "That is what you should do."

Blinking back tears, DG closed her eyes and thought of her friends. Raw and his courageous stunt back in the Dark Forest, Glitch smiling as he worked on some contraption in his lab, and of Cain's eyes rolling as he dutifully tailed after them all.

She saw her mother's quiet determination and her father's confidence. Azkadellia with her silent, smoldering resolve. Jeb's kindness.

Then it appeared, filling her heart as it never had before. Slowly, she reached a hand out and let the Light flow through her. The apple she was still holding rose from her palm, and slowly, but steadily, began to spin.

The next thing she knew, she was caught in the middle of an enthusiastic embrace as Jeb and Raw grabbed her. She laughed as she put an arm around each of their necks, holding on tight. Jeb whispered softly into her neck. "You did it, Princess."

When she finally let go of them, she turned once more to the tree. "Thank you, sir."

He laughed again. "I was only helping you to see what was always there."

Her attention was drawn once again to the Tin Man. Standing so stoic. A thought occurred to her. "He's still guarding something for Dorothy, isn't he?"

There was a knowing look about the tree as he gazed at her. "Yes."

DG returned to the Tin Man, and without knowing why she was doing it, touched the pocket watch pinned to his metal chest, letting her magic flow to it.

The hands spun wildly until they met at the twelve o'clock position.

The brick road, which had been dirty and incomplete, shimmered in brilliant gold with not a brick out of place. And there, shining on the hill at its end was a brilliant green light, beckoning them.

Jeb came to stand beside her. "I guess you still want to go. Even though you've got your magic back?"

She smiled back. "Well, we've come this far."


	23. Chapter 23

It was barren, frozen wasteland. The bare earth was dry and as the wind blew, small spirals, like miniature twisters, blew the dust across the ground. Nothing grew here. There was no light. The unnatural cold was barely tolerable and Cain could feel it piercing his coat, then his skin, and slowly working its way in to his heart.

Situated in a deep well of rock at least ten spans across, they found the Suket where LaRue told them they would. The fortress was a hulking monster carved from the very mountain upon which it sat. Sinister and sharp turrets clawed at the gray heavens. At its center, thick, foreboding towers stretched to the dark clouds.

Below them, around the base of the castle, there was plain of open territory where they saw people moving from beneath the mountain, pushing large carts of rock. Cain felt his anger rising as he looked down on them. Many were staggering with exhaustion others had wrapped rags around their hands to keep out the frigid chill that the Suket existed in.

All around, they stood. Staring icily down at their charges were pale guards dressed in crisp white uniforms. The black side-arms they wore strapped to their hips stood out sharply against the cloth.

This was going to be impossible. He rubbed his throbbing head and tried to ignore the screaming protests of his limbs. Azkadellia had been right. It was like a poison moving through his veins, inviting him to stop fighting, to succumb and be done with the whole sorry business.

_Nothing matters anymore, Cain. You won't save the princess. You'll just die. And then she'll die. You failed again._

Fighting back the wave of hopelessness, he tried to tune in to what was going on. He couldn't give in to this thing, not yet. He had a job to do. His friends needed him.

He held on to that thought with every iota of resistance he could muster.

Cain glanced at Glitch. The man had rode like he was possessed to get here and for once, Cain had found himself hard-pressed to keep pace. And now, perched on their overhang of rock, Glitch's face was pale and taut as he studied the scene below them.

For Glitch's sake, for Azkadellia's sake, he had to keep it together.

He focused hard on the scene below. Cain took in everything, the pattern of the guards as they patrolled, the lay of the land. Darkness was falling now, and the only hope they had of getting into the place was sneaking in without being seen. "This isn't going to be easy."

"That's where I need to get to." Glitch pointed to the middle tower. It was a thick, nasty looking structure jutting up from the center of the fortress. "That tower is what they'll use to conduct the energy and spread the cold. The power generator is going to beneath it."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me." Glitch replied grimly.

With a smile, Cain remembered a time not long ago where he wouldn't have trusted Glitch to find his way out of a paper bag. Times had changed.

"It's starting to get dark." The other man observed.

"They're probably expecting something like this, you know." Cain said.

"I know." Resignation was set in Glitch's tone as he turned to smile humorlessly to Cain. "But it's not like we've got a lot of choices, is it?"

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Glitch replied before following Cain.

* * *

There was nothing left.

After tethering the horses, Jeb, Raw, and DG had walked to the gray ruins of the City of Emeralds. The light that had drawn them had faded when the remains had come into view, sitting unobtrusively on a slight rise. DG's heart sank as Raw and Jeb pushed the old, weathered door open. It protested, creaking on its hinges as it swung in. DG crossed the threshold taking it all in.

Vines and other plants had rooted themselves in crack in the bare stone floor. The walls, which DG assumed had once been encrusted with emeralds, were gray and crumbling. The wind blew mournfully through the large, broken windows.

"I'm sorry, DG." Jeb said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She barely heard him.. Jeb and Raw were still beside her, but in her mind's eye, she was alone. And a desolate, cold wind was blowing.

She let herself go back into the memory which was faded like an old black-and-white movie. The yellow brick road that had traversed the countryside had been uprooted. The City of Emeralds was reduced to an empty, gray shell.

Trees stood dead in their orchards and the meadow bore brown, rustling grass. The skies were laden with clouds so dense that no light from the twin suns could pierce it.

A voice rode the wind, mournful. _I shouldn't have left. They asked me to stay_.

Her heart ached and she sank to the ground, feeling as though she had lost a friend. It felt as though a part of her had been torn away. She could feel the land dying, begging for her to help it, to mend it, to make it whole again.

"Winter threatens the O.Z. again." A voice called, louder. "It is in your power to stop it."

"DG?" Jeb was kneeling beside her where she sat on the cold marble. "Are you all right?"

"Look!"

At Raw's bidding, the pair looked around them. A gentle glow spread from where DG sat, turning the gray floor into the most beautiful shade of jade marble. When it reached the walls, it climbed them, turning what was old and broken into warm, deep green. The wind ceased toying with her hair as the ceilings completed themselves, almost too high above her for DG to see. Emeralds flashed everywhere. The doors behind them were wrought in green and gold. It shone so brightly, that DG had to squint to take in the highest arches of the splendid castle.

As they watched in wonder, souls forever tied to this place materialized before them. There was man with a thick moustache in a green uniform and furry hat that guarded the gate. A stout little man tipped his hat from the seat of his coach before clucking to an animated pony that was the most remarkable shade of orange. Men and women, couples, children, the elderly, hundreds of bright souls paraded past DG, Jeb and Raw.

Her companions were staring about them in shock, but DG felt a familiar feeling of hope and home here. This had been a wonderful place. But after its destruction, nothing would have ever been able to replace it. As beautiful as it was, its magic belonged to the past and its splendor served only as a memory of things that were gone and of things that could yet be saved. Its loss was a reason to fight now.

DG moved along, smiling as the spirits she passed nodded their respectful salutations, welcoming her as a visitor, even if she did not belong to their era. Before her stood a low, wide dais with the largest doors she had ever seen.

As she watched, they opened and four figures emerged, side by side.

To the far left was a beautiful lion, his muscles rippling beneath the sleek fur as he moved. To the far right was a scarecrow, wobbly on his legs, but determined to keep pace with his companions. Beside him was the Tin Man they had discovered in the apple orchard, shiny and polished. And in between them was a girl no more than fifteen, her hair in pigtails, and a smile upon her face.

She was aware that Jeb and Raw had each taken a knee behind her, but DG just smiled at her great-great-grandmother. "We meet again."

Dorothy's blue eyes studied her, a spark of wisdom in them that belied her youthful appearance. Her voice was ethereal when she spoke. "What have your journeys taught you?"

DG thought for a second. How could she possibly convey all that she had learned? But the more she thought, the easier it became. There was a common thread. "For all of its weirdness, the O.Z. is a wonderful place. And I may not understand every part of it or everyone who inhabits it, but it's all worth saving. It's my home."

"Very good." Dorothy nodded with a small, approving smile.

"That's it?" Jeb asked as he stood up behind DG. "All this way to find that out?"

"Raw could tell DG that." The Viewer said.

DG shook her head, her eyes never leaving Dorothy and her friends. "I think I had to figure that one out for myself."

Dorothy's smile became more of a smirk. "There may be hope for the House of Gayle, yet."

DG jumped when she felt her feet growing warm, when she looked, the beautiful Silver Slippers had appeared on her feet. In disbelief, she stared at them.

"These Slippers," Dorothy said, "will take you where you need to go. But that is the extent of their power."

DG smiled at her own enlightenment. To think, she had trekked all this way to find these things, hoping to restore her magic. All along she had had the power to do that and all she was getting out of these shoes was a free ride. "Will they take Jeb and Raw, too?"

"I'm not wearing them." Jeb stated flatly.

"Yes," Dorothy laughed aloud at him before she sobered. "And you must hurry. Already, dark plans have been set in motion. It is up to you to stop the darkness."

DG bowed her head. "This is the second time you've helped me."

The girl exchanged a look with her friends before commenting. "I doubt it will be the last, either."


	24. Chapter 24

As Azkadellia opened her eyes, she found that she was semi-reclined, standing, but pitched back. Her travel stained shirt and trousers had been replaced with a white robe. Wincing at the slight headache, she took in her surroundings.

She was encased in a glass cylinder, looking out into a dark cavern filled with machines and computers. The ceiling was high, encasing the command center of the giant machine. Lights blinked and there were many people moving about, hurrying back and forth in the final preparations to bring the machine online.

Carefully, she reached for her Light. It was there. It had apparently been returned to her. That meant that even with her magic, she was not seen as a threat. She wondered what her glass prison was made of and if it would be as effective at neutralizing her as they thought it would.

In the center of the room, she could see Zero and his witch standing with a third individual. He was tall, pale and cold. A sinister feeling washed over her. This was her enemy, Stribog. A descendent of the dark creature that her ancestor had defeated so long ago.

She prayed she had the strength to do the same.

As if feeling her eyes on him, the creature turned, pinning her with the iciest blue eyes she had ever seen. His voice was muted a bit by her prison, but she could hear him clearly. "Ah, Your Highness. I see you are awake at last. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

She smiled coldly. "Pleasure is all yours."

He was arrogant and bold as he approached her, studying her through the glass. "You have no idea."

"I won't help you."

"I'm afraid, my dear, that the choice is not yours."

"We'll see about that." Azkadellia threw out a hand, intending to hit this man with as much energy as she could muster. The blue light hit the glass and dispersed through it. Honestly, she had been expecting something along those lines, but she had to try anyway.

Stribog was laughing at her. "Didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

"Not really." Azkadellia replied off-handedly. "But you have to start somewhere."

"It's too late, my dear." Stribog leaned in. "You are now mine."

Azkadellia leaned in as well. "That's what you think."

From the left side of her line of vision, another man, shorter that Stribog but alike in his features, appeared. "My Lord, all will be ready within the hour."

"Good."

"This isn't going to work." Azkadellia seethed. "My family won't stand for it."

Stribog turned back to Azkadellia, laughing. "As if they could do anything, little princess. Your mother is powerless. And the light of your poor little sister . . . " he tisked at her, "is lost forever. Depleted by the machine to get you here."

"I won't help you." Azkadellia repeated keeping her tone even as her heart ached. She had failed DG. She was supposed to get her little sister's light back. Instead, she had only gotten herself captured.

"It will be all over soon. You are the last of your line, Princess. Today, the Suket reclaim what was taken from us by your Other World ancestor."

Azkadellia didn't answer, just smirking at him in her 'yeah, right' fashion. Inside, she felt her stomach flip.

Stribog gave her one last evil smirk before turning. "Bring the workers inside. Let them find shelter before Tempest is activated. We wouldn't want our work force depleted."

Azkadellia watched him go; praying that her face was not portraying the misery and defeat she was feeling. _May my ancestors give me strength._

* * *

"What are they doing?" Glitch whispered in Cain's ear.

They were in the valley now, watching as the three Suketian guards rounded up the last of the workers, snapping whips at their backs and screaming at them to stop dragging their feet.

Cain was breathing hard and trying to concentrate. "They're getting ready to fire that thing up. Wouldn't want their miners freezing to death, would they?"

"We don't have a lot of time here, Cain." Glitch said sternly as they watched the guards herd their prisoners to the cells beneath the fortress. "Once the Tempest is activated and conducting energy, there's no stopping it. The damage to the O.Z.'s environment will be irreversible."

Cain grabbed Glitch's shirt and pulled him deeper into the shadows as the final guard stood in the stone-arched entrance and looked around. Slowly, the guard passed his eyes over everything in the dying light.

Cain held his breath and prayed they wouldn't be spotted. Together, the two men had managed to sneak halfway across the basin of the crater and were now crouched behind a large boulder. It was probably his imagination, but Cain would swear that the guard's eyes lingered over their cover a little longer, but when he chanced a look again, the Suketian was moving inside.

There was a mechanical click and the whir of a motor starting. Slapping Glitch's shoulder to get him to move, Cain bolted for the door. As he sprinted, he hoped he would be able to execute the plan running through his skull.

As expected, the Suketian that had been standing at the door was just inside it when Cain threw himself in behind him. Catching the being completely off-guard, he slammed him against the rock, knocking the whip from his hand. With a few, well-aimed blows, the creature was unconscious at his feet.

Glitch had skimmed through the doors, barely making it before the heavy metal came together. He had managed to keep the second aggressor off of Cain, but unfortunately, that left the third at the front of the pack.

Cain swore loudly as the pale, blonde creature drew his weapon and fired a few shots in his general direction. Cain pushed Glitch to the wall before grabbing his revolver and answering the challenge. That was all it took for the Suketian to abandon the fight and dash up the hallway. They had been expected, as Cain knew they would be. "We haven't got much time. They're going to be all over us in a few minutes."

"I need to get to the reactor." Glitch said, patting the bulge in his jacket pocket.

Cain turned to the nearest man. He was young and tall, with red hair and green eyes. "You need to get everybody out of here. Can you do that?"

"I think so." The young man replied, picking up the weapons from the unconscious guards.

He handed one to a burly, black-haired man beside him. "Brock, what about he guards?"

Jason's son. Cain smiled despite himself and prayed a father and son reunion would be possible at the end of all of this.

Brock spoke again. "There's only a few down here after sunset. We should be able to take care of them."

"You've got fifteen minutes before we bring this place down." Cain nodded to Glitch. "C'mon."

Exchanging good luck wishes with the prisoners, Cain and Glitch hurried past them and headed up the corridor. The Tin Man went first, weapon drawn, checking the corners before allowing Glitch to run around them.

They moved away from the cell block, Cain noting that the hall swung around to the left. He tried to gage just how many cells there were in the depths of the prison, but he could see the passage led on forever. Those refugees were going to have their work cut out for them.

Luck remained with them and they saw no one.

It was then that they came to the fork in the tunnels. On the right, the path sloped down sharply, heading into the innards of the fortress. The left rose steeply, leading towards the upper levels.

"Maybe I should go up." Glitch looked up the path.

Cain shook his head. "We talked about this. You know what to do with that bomb."

"But-"

"Glitch." Cain stopped him. "We don't have time to argue."

The other man took a deep breath and nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Okay, you're right."

"Give me ten minutes if you can." Cain started up the corridor, but stopped. "Be careful, ya hear?"

"You too, Tin Man." Glitch disappeared into the belly of the castle just as the entire structure shook violently and deep rumble rose up from the earth.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N**__: So there wasn't much to 24, I thought I'd give you all this._

* * *

"Geez!" DG exclaimed as the whirlwind dissipated around her and her companions.

When they had left the City of Emeralds, DG had known instinctively what to do. After they had walked to where they had tethered the horses, she had grabbed both Raw and Jeb's hands and let her magic flow through her. Dorothy had told her that the Slippers would take them where they needed to go. She trusted that and had let the winds come when they had started to rise around her.

Through the haze of magic, she had become aware that they had left the ground in the midst of a white funnel cloud. It was not the violent monstrosity like the travel storm that had brought her to the O.Z.. Much smaller, it was safe and warm, reassuring, even. It seemed as though only a few seconds passed before their feet were on terra firma once more.

And when the whispering winds cleared, they had found themselves in the middle of a frozen wasteland, looking down on an imposing fortification carved from the rock. There were monsters there. DG could feel them. The Silver Slippers were gone now and her old sneakers were once again on her feet.

DG turned to check on her companions. Speedy seemed mildly annoyed and the other two horses snorted and danced around a little. Raw was windblown, but taking it in stride. Jeb, on the other hand, seemed a little dazed.

"The only way to fly, huh?" She grinned cheekily.

He gave her a disgusted look as he ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair as he turned to pull his rifle from the scabbard. "All right. Here we are. So where are we?"

"The home of the Ice Witch, I would think." DG stepped closer to the edge of the large rock valley and pulled her coat more tightly around her. "This must be where the machine is."

As if to answer her, the ground shook beneath their feet. As Jeb rushed forward to pull her back from the edge, DG saw a brilliant white light erupt from the large glass panes of the tallest tower. For a few seconds, it remained a large, opaque orb surrounding the top of the tower and DG's breath caught. It seemed like they were too late.

But then, the orb grew smaller, contracting until only the panes of glass were illuminated again. Finally, those went dark as well.

Jeb's hands were still on her shoulders. "Maybe your magic isn't strong enough to power that thing."

"That wasn't my magic." DG felt a cold stone settle in the pit of her stomach. She knew as certainly as she knew her own name. "That was Azkadellia. They've got her."

* * *

"Turn it off!"

Breathing hard and leaning on the side of her glass cylinder, Azkadellia managed a smile. She had told him she wasn't helping. And so far, she had been true to her word.

It had taken everything she had to resist the pull of the machine. It had sucked at her, dragging her magical energy from her body, but she had focused everything on restraining the bleed. The pain that had coursed through her had been unbearable, but she knew if she could hold out, Stribog would have no choice but to shut the machine down.

Or he would kill her.

Ordering her heart to stop pounding, Azkadellia looked up as the Ice King approached. She managed a full-blown, self satisfied grin when she saw the pure lividness of his face. She wondered if she could get him hot enough to just melt on the spot.

"Very nice, Your Highness." He spat sarcastically as she stood up again. "But I doubt you have the energy for a repeat performance of that little trick."

She crossed her arms. "I'm ready to find out when you are. Of course, if you kill me, this little toy of yours isn't going to work all that well, is it?"

Stribog growled and stormed away, bellowing for them to reset the machine for a second run. From across the room, Zero frowned at her. Azkadellia smiled back cheekily and waved. Maybe this whole mess would kill her. But she wasn't going down without a fight. If she could help it, she was going to save the O.Z..

There was a commotion and suddenly, the doors to the control room chamber burst open. A thin panting Suket fell through, immediately bowing to Stribog. "My Lord, intruders at the northern slave gate. The prisoners are escaping."

_Damn it!_ Azkadellia swore inwardly. No prize for guessing who that would be. Why couldn't they let her sacrifice herself like a good little martyr? She knew that they were coming after her. She had simply hoped she would have been able to tip the scales more in their favor before they arrived. So much for that

"It's Cain and the Headcase." Zero was suddenly standing straighter. "They've come after the princess."

"Then they are fools. And they will pay." Stribog turned to the guard. "Alert all guards and have them move to the prison level."

The guard nodded and hurried from the room again.

"Of course, this could work to our advantage." Azkadellia swallowed hard as those cold, lifeless eyes fell on her. "I want them alive."

The Ice Witch smiled as her hand traced the curve of Zero's shoulder. "Perhaps it is time to finish what we started in the Southern Forest."

"I think it is." Azkadellia felt sick as a slow, evil smile came to Zero's lips. The evil man turned to her. "Wyatt Cain, a quivering mass at your feet, Highness. Maybe that will convince you to cooperate. Or, perhaps, you have a soft spot for a certain Headcase?"

She pressed her hands against the glass, feeling rage grip her insides. "If you hurt either one of them, you will regret it."

Zero smiled evilly, but turned to the woman. "Let's finish this, now. I've been patient long enough."

She watched the pair leave to carry out their plan. Obviously, they intended to break Cain and the last time Azkadellia had seen him, he didn't look very far from the breaking point as it was. If they captured Cain, Ambrose would most certainly surrender in an effort to help his friend. She felt the fist clamp tighter around her heart as she thought of sweet, kind Ambrose in the clutches of these monsters.

Leaning forward, Azkadellia pressed her forehead against the glass, ignoring the triumphant smirk on Stribog's sharp features.

If they captured Cain and Ambrose, she would have no more cards to play.

_What now?_ She wondered miserably.

* * *

Now she knew what salmon swimming upstream felt like. Just as DG, Jeb, and Raw had made it to the open passageway on the north side of the compound, people came flooding out of it. They were panicked and running for their lives. Further in, she could hear the sounds of gunfire and felt her heart leap into her throat. These were all of the people that had gone missing from their homes over the past month.

She and her friends had arrived in the middle of a jail-break. Jeb dashed in headlong, dragging DG along with him. They were immediately pressed to the wall by the bolting mob. With a growl, Jeb pushed forward again.

Ahead, she could see a red-haired man at the junction between the main corridor and a side passage. It was from there that people were running. She heard him holler, "Hurry!" Before sending a couple of shots down the hall.

The man gave them an odd look as he tried to herd more refugees from the depths. "Who the hell are you?"

"Friends." Jeb called back as he pulled DG out of the mob. "We're here to stop this thing."

The man snapped his head around. "More of you?"

"What?" DG called over the din.

"Two men just went that way." The man looked down the corridor to make sure his enemy was still at bay. "One guy in a hat and the other with a zipper on his head."

"Wonder who that could be?" DG said sarcastically as she charged down the hall. Jeb and Raw were right behind her. Cain and Glitch were here. That scared her and made her feel better all at the same time. On the one hand, she wasn't here with just Jeb and Raw hurtling towards the unknown. On the other, more of her friends were in danger.

"Look out!" Jeb pushed her hard as they approached a fork in the corridor as he shifted the rifle in his hands, bringing the stock hard to the forehead of a Suketian who had been running headlong down the grade from the left-hand hall. He managed to fell a second in a similar manner before giving a battle cry and throwing himself up the passage.

There was a sudden yell behind them. DG turned to see about ten Suketian warriors burst from the side corridor and open fire on the escaping prisoners. She could see people falling as they were wounded and before she could stop herself, she felt a scream of anger rip from her throat.

As the Suket turned on her, she felt Raw shove her hard down the corridor. For a few seconds she struggled against him before the gentle man yelled urgently. "DG, please!"

She relented, knowing he was right. There was nothing she could do in that corridor. What she had to do was get to her sister and stop this thing at the source.

But she got the distinct impression she was going the wrong direction. "We need to head up."

"Need to escape, first."

The pair burst from the passage into a huge cavern, brilliantly lit by huge lights that were affixed to the walls every few feet. The ceiling was at least a half a mile above them and all around was huge cables and the blinking lights of computer consoles.

DG was taking in the massive bundle of electrical cables in front of her when Raw yanked her down a narrow path between two of the computer banks. "Run!"

The Suket were behind them. Panting, DG led her friend first down one path and then another, trying to lose their pursuers in the maze of their own evil machine. She heard them yelling behind her. She looked back to try and see them.

And ended up running right into the pair that had cut her off at the pass. It was like hitting a block of ice. Before she could react, icy hands had a hold on her jacket collar. "We have them!"

The Suketian guard holding her glared down maliciously. "If it isn't the little princess? Come to see her sister, I presume?"

DG didn't reply, resisting the urge to use her magic and turn this guy to toast. She had to wait. If she could just keep that secret to herself for a few more minutes.

"Take them to Stribog." One of the men behind her called. "He wanted the Tin Man, but I believe this is even better."

Cain was still out there. And so was Jeb. DG hid a smile. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

"Hey! Get your hands off of me!"

DG cringed. She knew that voice. Her fears were confirmed when she and Raw were dragged from between the computers. From the opposite side of the aisle, two more Suketians came, holding Glitch between them. The man struggled against his captors until he saw DG and Raw coming towards him. "What-? How-?"

"Hey, Glitch." DG said solemnly. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know. Captured." He was spending too much time with Cain, DG decided. There was disappointed and poignant edge to his look. "Do I even want to know what you're doing here?"

"No." Raw replied simply.

The guards apparently had had enough. The one holding DG barked, "Take them up to the tower."

_Yeah_, she thought, _let's go to the tower._


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N**__: You guys are killing me with the reviews. You make me laugh so hard! _

_My muse had a temper tantrum and demanded a rewrite of this chapter, damnable, sadistic harpy that she is. Guh, let me know what you guys think. I'm happi-er with it, at least._

* * *

Cain swore viciously. He was lost.

After the disturbance had shaken the castle, he had taken off up the corridor and immediately found himself in honeycomb of passages and halls. Apparently, part of the Suketian fortress's defense was a hopelessly confusing hallway system. The more he twisted and turned, the more he knew he wasn't getting out. The depression was settling over his shoulders like a heavy, maddening cloak. _You won't make it, Cain . . ._

_Not now._ He pushed the thought away angrily and ordered himself to focus. She needed him. He had a nasty feeling that Azkadellia's time was running out. That tremor earlier had something to do with the Tempest. He only hoped the princess could hold out until he got there.

_You won't get there . . ._

_Stop it!_ He had to think. What he was planning to do when he actually found her, he didn't know. 

Once again, the fuzziness and the hopelessness were beginning to descend upon him. A throbbing pain started behind his eyes. _Wyatt . . ._

_Not now! _He growled as the vision came. He wouldn't be able to stop it.

_Wyatt, please. . .help me!_

"WYATT!"

The sound of his name being screamed bounced off the walls like a ricochet of a bullet and buzzed around his brain like an angry hornet. Feeling himself starting to sweat, he pulled the gun from its holster, spinning around and looking for the source of the sound. There was no one else in the corridor.

The buzzing grew louder, making it hard to think about anything else except the pain of guilt and grief. Breathing hard and trying to order his thoughts, he fell to one knee and clenched his eyes shut tightly. 

It didn't help. The vision, the one he had been forced to watch so many times before replayed in his head. Being dragged from the house and forced to his knees, fighting and losing –_failing._

_It was one of the few times he had ever heard her plead. Zero had taken the ribbon from her hair and used it to bind his fingers together, making his fist all the harder. The scream of rage erupted from his throat again when Jeb was knocked to the ground. They forced him back, into the suit. The metal door clanged shut and he cursed Zero as he heard the bolts slip into place. Adora was screaming now, screaming for her husband. With one hard stroke with the back of his hand, Zero rendered her unconscious. He saw the blood running down her face as he screamed her name, watching the Long Coats collect her limp frame and pick up a still struggling Jeb. He watched them take his family away from him. _

And it began again.

It was hard to breathe, but he screamed again as the emotional pain manifested itself in the physical. Pain that radiated from his heart, through his stomach and coursed down his limbs. Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, he forced himself to look up again.

There she stood like a specter in the darkened hall, wearing the white dress that he had last seen her in. There was a haunted look in her eyes. Her face was bloodied. Her clothes were torn and stained, like they always were in his visions. The bruises and cuts stood out against the paleness of her face. _Why did you abandon me, Wyatt?_

Cain stood up again, a painful exercise. "Adora?"

Not looking away, she took a step back. The accusing and pained expression was all that he could see. It was all that mattered. Rational thought existed no more as he followed her, trying to close the distance, praying that this time all it would take to bridge the gap between life and death were a few short, mortal steps.

It didn't matter that he had seen her grave.

It didn't matter that he knew Jeb had buried her.

His fevered brain accepted only the fact that she was there, in front of him.

She took three more steps, shaking her head, before turning on her heel and running up the hall.

Getting back to his feet was a painful process as he watched her form fade into the darkness.

Have to find her. Nothing else matters.

_Why? Why didn't you save me?_

The words rolled around in his head. He put the heels of his hands to his temples, trying to make it stop. When he screamed, the anguish erupted from the depths of his soul. "ADORA!"

* * *

Jeb growled as he ran down the corridor. Fortunately, Raw had managed to get DG out of the way before the fighting really got out of hand in the hall. At the time, Jeb's only option had been to catch the remaining two guards unawares by charging them. By the time he had neutralized them, the Suketians that had come up from the cell block were already on him. That had left one choice . . . up.

He quickly ducked into a side corridor and stooped out of sight, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the Suketians that had been chasing him dash past, continuing up the corridor. Making sure no one else was following; he made his way down the passage. He needed to get back down and find DG. How he was going to do that, he didn't rightly know.

He was weighing the odds of backtracking when he heard a scream that made his blood run cold.

"ADORA!"

It was his father, but so anguished and hurt, it barely seemed recognizable. Deep in his soul, Jeb knew his father was in serious trouble and he had to get to him. The sound reverberated off of the stone, making it nearly impossible to determine where it was coming from.

Following his gut, Jeb hefted the rifle and took off down the passage, bearing to the right.

Azkadellia felt her heart stop when DG, Ambrose, and the Viewer, Raw were marched into the control room. Why was her sister here? What in the whole of the O.Z. was she thinking? The older princess pressed herself up against the glass, hoping that what she was seeing wasn't true. How could she resist Stribog now?

Stribog was basking in his glory. "Well, well. Two little princesses . . . I have them at last."

Without further ceremony, he grabbed DG's jacket and hauled her towards Azkadellia. DG squawked in surprise as the fear came to her features. The girl struggled hard against his vice-like grip, her sneakers skidding on the floor. "Az! Are you all right?"

"I've been better." She said grimly. "What are you doing here?"

"This is what you get for ditching me."

"Enough." Stribog growled. "Now, Princess Azkadellia, what shall it be? The O.Z. or your sister?"

Azkadellia took a shuddering breath. 

DG, who was still facing her, rolled her eyes and gave Azkadellia a wink. "Bad guys. Always coming up with these lame choices, aren't they?"

Before Azkadellia could respond, there was a burst of white light and Stribog cried out in pain and rage. When her vision cleared, the control room had erupted in chaos. Suketians and scientists were running for cover. She could see that Raw had tackled Ambrose to the floor.

"Hang on, Az. I'll get you out." DG was ducked down behind her prison, fiddling with the locking mechanism on the side.

She stared at her little sister in disbelief. "You've got your magic back."

"Yeah," DG panted as she hit the door with a frustrated fist. "But I don't know how good I'll be at using it in a fight. We need to get you out of here."

Azkadellia jumped and screamed as a bullet ricocheted off of the glass and DG ducked for cover. Ambrose yelled both of their names. Stribog's guards had arrived and were flooding into the control room. DG darted across the room and threw another bolt of energy in their general direction. It served to send them scurrying for cover, but the onslaught continued.

Screaming with rage, Azkadellia bounced a small fist off of the glass. She was still trapped.

* * *

Zero felt the thrill of victory run through him as Adora Cain stepped through the entrance to the small cavern. There was a smile of confidence on her face as she quickly strode to the shadows where she knew him to be hiding with three guards that would take Cain to Stribog when they were finished with him. Her form became wavy as the disguise seemed to melt away. It was Lilith that joined him.

He grinned at her. "Is he coming?"

"Of course." She smiled coldly.

Zero flipped the switch of the small machine mounted on the wall beside him and silently thanking the headcase again for this little invention. The tri-dimensional energy storing holographic time loop.

* * *

Cain stumbled once before finally staggering into the immense cavern. He had just rounded the last corner in time to see the form disappear into its depths. 

He had just walked into a nightmare, more vicious and terrible than anything he had ever dreamt. 

Because, unlike in his dreams, he knew that what he saw before him was the truth.

He was back at the cabin behind the white elm. As he watched, two Long Coats came from the house, dragging a slight frame between them. Adora's boots dug into the wood as she pulled back, still resisting, though he could see the blood on her pants where she had obviously already been wounded. The two men pulled her down the stairs and forced her to her knees. 

He could not hear the words that were exchanged between his wife and Zero, but in the next instant, the man's hand was on her throat, picking her up off of the ground with the force of his anger. A strangled cry was cut short as her body hit the tree. There was a vengeful gleam in Zero's eyes as she stopped struggling. He let her go and watched her limp body fall to the ground.

And then, it started all over again.

He fell to his knees, unable to look away, dropping his gun to the side. The pain ripped at his insides, threatening to rend his heart from his chest as he watched her fight in vain a second time. He could've stopped this. He should have stopped this. She was his to protect and he had failed her. That beautiful, stubborn, spirited woman had died because he wasn't there to protect her. 

The misery engulfed him completely, paralyzed him. He could hear nothing and see nothing as the loop began again. There was no suit to hold him in place this time. This time, his guilt stayed him and it was just as effective.

"Dad!"

The voice was like ray of distant lighthouse, cutting through the murky haze of pain that enveloped him like a smothering fog. 

There was a loud yell and an exchange of gunfire that spattered off of the rock briefly before it ended just as abruptly as it had begun.

"Hold it right there, boy." This voice was further away, more distant. It was Zero. "One more step and I end your old man's suffering for good."

The outside world was intruding on Cain's twisted and sick reality. He tried to fight, to succumb to the pain that he now felt he deserved. But Jeb's voice had opened a narrow passage and while he still felt immobilized and powerless, he was steadily becoming more aware of the events moving around him.

"Easy on those triggers, boys or your boss is the first one I shoot."

There was silence and in some back corner of Cain's mind that almost cared, he knew every one was calculating their odds of being the last person to shoot.

He heard the sound of a rifle being forcefully racked. "What did you do to him?"

Cain was breathing hard. _Just let him end it, son. . ._

"He did it to himself." Zero spat. "He's too damned weak."

_Too weak. Failed again, Cain. You're going to lose your son, now. . . _The fog was rolling in, muffling the sound of Zero's voice.

But Jeb's cool tone cut a swath right through it again. "You're one to talk about weak. Shall I get the spoons again?"

He could almost hear Adora speaking through their son. It was said with her defiant determination, that confident, mocking tone that could unnerve any enemy.

"And I'll make you pay for that, you little sonofabitch." 

Jeb was nearly shouting now. "You shoot him and I swear by all the gods I will put a bullet right between your eyes!"

Slowly, as not to draw attention to himself, Cain pivoted on one knee to see what was going on behind him. Jeb had made it to just inside the entrance of the cave. His rifle was seated firmly against his shoulder, pointed directly at Zero. Zero, in turn, was pointing a revolver at Cain. His attention, however, was completely on Jeb.

It was then that the Witch stepped forward. "Such bravery for a father that left you to suffer. That let your mother die. Look," she gestured towards the holographic image that was still playing, "she fought so hard, and yet he rejects her memory. He ignores her sacrifice. He blames you for her loss."

There was a few seconds of silence before Jeb let out a humorless laugh. "That wasn't his fault. It wasn't mine, either. We all did what we had to do. Me, my mother, my father. But you know what? Through it all, we never stopped loving each other. It doesn't matter what you do to any of us, nothing is going to change that. We're always going to be a family. There's nothing more important than that."

Cain moved faster in that half a second then he ever had before in his life. With one swift, fluid motion, he launched himself off of the floor and directly at Zero. The tactic worked. The other man was caught completely off guard as Cain took him to the wall. Zero grunted in pain as he hit the rock, but recovered enough to bring his knee up into Cain's stomach. Ignoring the pain, the Tin Man reached up and grabbed his opponent's wrist, twisting it so that the gun dropped from Zero's hand.

There was a cold grip on his shoulder, and then a yell of pain before the grip was gone again. Jeb had taken down the guard that had sought to help his comrade. His thoughts flew and he realized that already, the boy had two more guards pinned and was exchanging gunfire with them. The second fell as Jeb darted up from behind a waist-high rock formation and fired.

As Zero spun him away from the wall, he caught a brief glimpse of the Ice Witch as she stepped back into the shadows. 

He didn't have time to worry about her as Zero initiated a counter-attack. The man pushed him back hard, giving him enough room to hook Cain across the jaw with a fist. Before he could regain his balance, Zero hit him again, sending him down on all four's. He felt the toe of Zero's boot catch him between the ribs. Cain rolled away and somehow managed his way back to his feet just before Zero was all over him again. 

He lost ground until something hard collided with his lower back. His spine arced over the railing of a stone balcony that jutted out over a hundred and fifty foot drop to the stone floor below. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just see the blinking, glowing lights of what he assumed was Tempest's nerve center.

Zero's face was just inches from his now. He could smell the other man's breath as he grunted and pushed, trying to heave Cain over the edge. He was grinning cruelly. "Two down. One to go."

And that was enough. With inhuman strength, Cain was able to get his leg beneath Zero and swing the other man up and over the railing. The look of triumphant slipped into one of surprise and fear as Cain got a better grip on Zero's robes and, with a yell, sent him over.

Cain slid to the floor as Zero's scream was cut short by a sickening crunch of bone on rock. 

Jeb's rifle was still cracking and the adrenaline that was just beginning to ebb from Cain's system was back with a vengeance when he saw the Witch moving again. Jeb had just left the cover of his hiding place and was looking up the hall, trying to see if any more threats were coming from that direction.

He failed to notice the Witch coming towards him as she slunk through the shadows. There was a flash of light as she raised her hand. An icy knife had appeared in it.

Cain wasn't even aware that he moved. Before he could register a thought, he had lunged for his gun, stretching himself flat on the floor. He wrapped his hand around the handle and fired, just as Jeb was bringing his rifle to bear. The harpy screeched as she fell to the floor and Jeb stepped back, breathing hard as he looked down on her.

It was over. Seeing his son unharmed, Cain let out a sigh as his forehead met the cool stone of the floor. Pain was still coursing through him, and nausea threatened to overtake him. After a few seconds, there was a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Dad?"

With effort, Cain pushed himself to his elbows and then to a sitting position. Jeb's concerned face filled his vision. "Geez. You look like hell."

He couldn't help it. He smiled. "You look a little rough yourself, son."

Before another word was spoken, he pulled Jeb into a strong embrace. He tensed against him, just as he had when Cain had first attempted a hug at the resistance camp nearly two months before. But this time, Jeb relented and returned the gesture, letting out a sigh of relief.

"You did well, son. Your mother would be proud of you." Cain rethought the words as he drew Jeb even closer. "I'm proud of you."

At that, Jeb pulled back sharply. Cain just smiled at his son's shocked expression and continued. "I'm sorry for the things I said to you. It wasn't you I was mad at."

Jeb swallowed. "Me too, Dad."

With a shake of his head, Cain slapped his son's leg. "C'mon. We've still got work to do."

Jeb stood up first and when he offered Cain a hand, the Tin Man ordered his pride to stand at ease as she let his son pull him to his feet. He wouldn't have made it on his own. "We have to find Azkadellia and Glitch and get out of here."

"Actually," Jeb retrieved his rifle from the floor to avoid his father's gaze. "We need to find DG and Raw, too."

"What?" Cain felt his ire rise. "DG is here? What is she thinking? She's got no defense."

"It's a long story." Jeb replied, cutting him off. "Just trust me when I tell you she's not defenseless. I-"

Jeb stopped short as he looked to the door and Cain followed the line of his son's gaze.

The Ice Witch was gone.

_**A/N:** Why does the 'save changes' button not always work! Sorry for the repost, all. This chapter NEEDED page breaks. Ugh!_�


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N**__: ROTFLMAO, lot's of love for Jeb and his spoons! He's a tricksty thing, isn't he? Glad he could make you all laugh._

* * *

It had been a long time since Queen Orianah had gone to battle. She stood surveying the scene in her pants and tall boots, thinking about the last time she had done this. It had been fifteen annuals ago to be exact and never before had there been so much at stake. Her children were down there. Amid all of the chaos and confusion were her precious daughters.

Ritnik's cavalry had made good time from Finaqua. The light and fleet assault vehicles were small and shaped like steel boxes and didn't look like much, but Orianah knew the strength and agility they possessed. Their treads had torn up the earth, rolling all night to reach the Winkian plains for the rendezvous with Caye and Gaylette as the evening was fading into dusk. Even with the other two generals, the number of men at her command was pitifully small. Especially given the enemy.

From a gate at the northern end of the fortress, people were trickling out only to be shot down as they tried to race across the open plain to the safety of the mountain. Snipers were picking them off easily from the next tier of the wicked-looking castle.

Her stomach clenched as her anger grew. "General Ritnik, provide cover for those prisoners and clear that passage so that it can be used for evacuation purposes."

"Yes, Your Majesty." With a wave of his hand the ten small, heavily armored assault vehicles lurched forward. With surprising spryness for a man of his advanced years, Ritnik swung up on the lead vehicle while it was still moving and disappeared through the top hatch. The small group of soldiers at his command filed after the cavalry.

"General Gaylette, take your men and attack from the south side. General Caye will take up a flanking position and provide cover for your troops."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The dark-haired general turned and began shouting orders at his troops. They sprang into action as more assault vehicles roared to life and began their descent into the stone basin.

Orianah felt a twinge of envy as she saw Connalee LaRue among Gaylette's troops. What she wouldn't give to be down there among them. Her place was here at the command site, directing the battle. On the battlefield, without her magic, she would be a liability.

She was sending people to die and she knew it. She hated it, too.

There was a comforting grip on her shoulder. She smiled and put a hand on her husband's. "I'm afraid you and I are getting too old for these adventures."

Ahamo was smiling as he turned her to face her. "Not too old. Just at an age where we can only be of assistance in more of an academic capacity."

Despite herself, Orianah laughed. "You have a wonderful turn-of phrase."

Orianah turned her attention back to the battle when the first missile hit the side of the fortress. She could only pray that her soldiers could get to her daughters in time.

* * *

DG protected her head as bullet caused sparks to fly as it hit one of the computer consoles. A string of angry curses flew from Stribog's mouth. "Careful of the machine!"

Glitch was trying to peek around the side of the console he, Raw, and DG were hunkered down behind. "Could've told me you had your magic back, Doll."

"Yeah, when?" DG replied sharply. "Before or after we were all captured?"

"Good point."

"We have to get Azkadellia out of there." DG said hurriedly. "She's got a better chance of getting us all out of here in one piece than I do."

Glitch had managed to get his look, but fell to the floor again as shot came way too close to his nose. "The release mechanism for the capsule is on the console across the room."

"Oh great." DG sighed. There was only one thing to do. "Do you think you can get to it if I keep them busy?"

Glitch's eyes went wide, obviously worried for her safety. "DG. You can't-"

"This is no time for chivalry. What's it gonna be?"

After a few seconds' hesitation, Glitch nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." DG took a deep breath to steady her nerves and gather her magic before standing up. "GO!"

Holding both hands in front of her, she called the magic. Bright light radiated through the room as she caught several of the guards in the chest. The others fell back, screeching in the light.

Glitch made good use of her diversion. With a cat-like grace, he had bounced over the console and made it across the room in a few steps. He fell on the release with a triumphant shout. DG heard the door of the chamber click beside her. Azkadellia stepped out.

There was a scream of rage and a flash of cold energy. Glitch was thrown back against the stone wall where he crumpled to the floor and didn't move.

"Glitch!" DG called as Raw rushed to their friend. Stribog started to move again, but DG held up a hand threateningly. "Don't move."

"Do you think you're stronger than me, girl?" Stribog smiled coldly from across the room. "You're very powerful, but you know very little about using your talents."

"Maybe not." Azkadellia's voice was strong as she came up beside DG. "But I know plenty. It's over, Stribog. You can't defeat us and you know it."

"Master!" The Ice Witch stumbled into the chamber, blood oozing through her fingers from the wound in her upper arm. There was a crazed look in her eyes as she sobbed. "Master, Zero's dead. The Cains-"

She was cut short as Stribog grabbed her and with lightning speed, threw her into the cylinder Azkadellia had just been released from. The Ice Witch screamed as the chamber door fell closed and she began to pound the glass with her fists.

DG and Azkadellia reacted at the same time, using their magic to try and stop him. But Stribog was able to parry their attack long enough to get to the console. He depressed a series of buttons in rapid succession. A tremor ran through the structure as Tempest came to life around them.

As they advanced on him again, the creature laughed. "Perhaps I won't get my world, Princesses, but you won't have it, either. Lilith is powerful enough to cause a cold blast that will destroy the O.Z.'s crops. Many of your kind will suffer and die when winter comes."

He moved to attack again and DG felt Azkadellia grab her hand. The familiar feeling of their combined power sang up her arm. Immediately, the impenetrable magic field enveloped them. Stribog's attack glanced off harmlessly. 

Together, the two princesses raised their free hands. DG felt the power come from deep inside her, blending with Azkadellia's until the power hummed through every vein in her body. A brilliant ball of blue, crackling energy erupted from beneath their barrier and the combined strength of their magic hit Stribog full in the chest. With a loud, piercing scream, the Suketian leader was blasted through the wall, revealing the dark clouds that were already building in the sky above them.

After a few seconds of deep breaths to steady herself, DG dropped her sister's hand and ran to the cylinder. It was filled with an icy, thick fog that swirled violently around its confines. There was no sign of the Ice Witch that Stribog had sacrificed for his revenge.

"DG!" Azkadellia was at the edge of the hole as the cold wind whipped her face. When DG reached her, she couldn't see where Stribog had landed, but there was a battle raging in the plain that surrounded the Suketian fortress.

Azkadellia smiled. "It's Mother and Father."

"Az, we have to turn this machine off." DG turned with her sister on her heels. 

Raw had Glitch propped up against the wall when the two women approached and knelt down beside their injured friend. "How is he?"

"Will live." Raw stated simply. "Dark magic make it hard to heal wounds." 

Glitch's eyes were insensible as he looked from DG to Azkadellia. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Ambrose." Azkadellia said softly as she took his hand.

"Guess I got to save you after all."

"Sure did." She smiled. "Ambrose, how do we stop the machine?"

"Can't stop it." Glitch was slipping back into unconsciousness. "Once it's started."

* * *

Breathing hard, Cain pounded down the hall. This was it. He was on the right course, now.

Jeb had taken the lower levels in their search for DG and the others. It had taken some convincing, but the boy had agreed to go. Cain would take the control center.

Time was up and Glitch would be tossing the bomb in the generator any time now. He ran harder, forgetting his exhaustion and the pain that sought to cripple his entire body.

The sounds of the fight were drawing him ever higher and making him move faster. According to Jeb, DG had somehow managed to get her magic back. There wasn't a lot of time for details, but Jeb assured Cain that DG was no longer helpless.

Of course, to Cain, DG having her magic back translated to DG has a means of getting herself into even more trouble. 

When he rounded the next corner, he felt the tremor once more beneath him and fought to keep his balance as the entire structure rocked. For a brief few seconds, he wondered if he was officially out of time and the entire place was about to come down around his ears. But it stopped and he was able to complete the climb to the control room.

When he finally skidded into the control room, he found DG, Azkadellia, and Raw kneeling beside an unconscious Glitch. They turned and a huge grin split DG's face. "You're alive!"

"Why does that always seem to surprise you?" He strode across the room and crouched down to inspect Glitch. "What happened?"

"The machine has been activated." Azkadellia informed him shortly. "We can't stop it."

As she spoke, Cain noticed the lump in Glitch's jacket. Cursing, he reached in and grabbed the bomb that his friend had not had the opportunity to plant. 

He stood up. "We need to get Glitch out of here."

Straining from the effort, Cain pulled Glitch's limp form over his shoulders. "Let's go."

Moving quickly, the four set off down the corridors. Cain fought to remember the turns he needed to take, but Raw and the Princesses seemed to have good handle on it. They moved steadily downward and soon, they found themselves in the corridor that led to the prison block.

Royal Army soldiers had infiltrated the lower levels of the fortress and had pushed back most of the Suketian guards. Now, apparently since they knew the machine was running, they were working to evacuate the last of the prisoners.

Cain settled Glitch against a wall and pulled the bomb from his pocket again, studying the device in his hands. "Get out of here."

"Where are you going?" DG asked.

"I'm gonna stop this thing before it destroys the O.Z." he stopped at the entrance to the corridor. "Can the two of you buy me some time? Is there any way you can minimize the damage?"

The two sisters shared a look. Azkadellia sighed. "Maybe." 

"Dad!" He breathed a sigh of relief to see Jeb running up the corridor towards them against the flow. The boy took in the group and smirked. "I guess you win. You found all of them."

"Help get Glitch out of here." He ordered his son. 

Jeb looked to the unconscious advisor and back to his father, knowing. "I'm going with you."

"Son, I'll be right behind you." He put a hand on Jeb's shoulder. "I need you to get Raw and the princesses out of here."

There was a sigh and a reluctant nod as Jeb's common sense and military training agreed that Cain was right. "Okay."

He pulled Glitch up in much the same way Cain had and settled him on his shoulders. He caught his father's eyes again. "Be careful."

"Right behind you." Cain promised one last time. "Now go."

He watched his son lead the small group down the corridor and disappear out the door.

Gripping the bomb more firmly in his hand, he started down the corridor.

* * *

The battle had been going well. Ritnik's men were able to clear the northern corridor and neutralize the snipers, allowing more of the prisoners to escape under the barrage of cover fire laid down by the Royal Army. Caye and Gaylette were making progress on their side of the fortress as well. Soon, they would take the lower levels of the fortress and hopefully, this battle would be nearly over.

Orianah gasped as the machine came to life. From the panes of glass in the tallest tower, a white light began to grow. Ahamo grabbed her hand as the implications hit both of them. The Suket had started the chain reaction to destroy their kingdom.

And they had Azkadellia. Orianah felt anguish and grief rush over her._Azkadellia . . ._

It took minutes to grow in intensity, but grow it did. The light became ever stronger and the increasing cold hit them like a wall. Orianah staggered backwards as the cutting wind blasted them. There would be no stopping this, now.

Below, she could see her soldiers bracing against the foul weather, valiantly persisting and still making progress towards the fortress.

The snow began, driven by the wind. It stung her face and Ahamo pulled her to him, trying to shield her from the onslaught.

She pushed away when four figures raced from the northern corridor. She could barely make them out through the snow, but she saw two, very small individuals turn and face the machine again.

The magic erupted around them, growing swiftly and projecting itself outward. Relief flooded over Orianah and she hugged Ahamo tightly as they watched their daughters, joined at the hands, using their magic together to confine destructive power of the machine.

The shield expanded, up and over the colossal fortress, encompassing the whole of the structure and confining the unnatural winter. People were still running from the bowels of the castle and passed through the shield easily, able to run across the plains now without fear of the snipers.

The snow stopped. The wind abated and the world began to grow warmer around them. The power of her children was enormous and awe-inspiring.

Orianah's fear returned. With that much power, the girls were going to exhaust themselves to a frightening degree. It was even possible that they would deplete their energy completely and . . .

She didn't finish the thought. She couldn't. Instead, she broke away from her husband and started to race towards her children.


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N**__: Yeesh! Sorry about the cliffhangers. I don't do it on purpose . . . okay, so maybe I do. But the chapter has to stop somewhere._

_I guess you're all gonna be out for my blood at the end of this little installment._

* * *

The nerve center of Tempest was a confusing mess and the mechanical buzz of the massive machine rang in his ears as it drew the energy needed to perform its appointed task. Cain ran straight, heading for the Seladium generator, which according to Glitch was located centrally, directly beneath the tower. He could see it, a tall domed structure that loomed over everything else in the expansive cavern. He quickly glanced at the device in his hands, noting the switch that would release the gas that would react with the core.

The generator glowed a bright orange in front of him. He could see an access door on the side of the massive device where fuel was obviously added. All he had to do was deliver his package and get the hell out of there. 

A mass hit him hard from the right side, leaping from behind a bank of cables that nearly reached Cain's waist. With a yell, he landed on the ground and the bomb rolled from his grasp. He went to skitter after it but a thud on his back sent pain tearing up his spine. 

He rolled quickly, grabbing the length of pipe before his assailant connected with his skull. With a grunt, he pulled hard, flipping his opponent over onto the floor beside him. 

As Cain swung to his feet, he got a good look at who was after him. Disbelief and shock made his blood run cold. The deep gash ran from his temple to his chin. Cuts ran the length of his arms and dark bruises had formed under his eyes. 

There was a spark of insanity. He was feeling neither pain nor fear at this point.

Only hatred. 

Zero was grinning like a mad man. "Thought I was dead, didn't you?"

Cain reached for his gun, but was a hair too slow. With the pipe, Zero lunged, knocking the weapon from Cain's hand before he could bring it to bear. His trusted sidearm slid across the stone floor beneath a computer terminal and well out of his reach.

Cain grabbed for the pipe again, using it to pull Zero close enough to knee him in the gut. The crazed man doubled over and Cain managed to land a fist on his jaw, sending Zero sprawling again.

The need to get the bomb in place took him again and he spun to find it. It was lying, about forty feet off, not far from the generator. 

He was almost to it when Zero roared and tackled his legs. His fingertips grazed the casing as he was dragged back. He rolled to his back to defend himself, aware that time was running out for DG, Jeb, and everyone else in the O.Z..

* * *

DG could feel her strength beginning to wane. The palace was huge and keeping the magical barrier over it to contain the machine was beginning to drain her. Not only did they have to generate the shield, they also had to resist the power. They weren't going to be able to keep this up much longer.

Azkadellia was beginning to feel the strain as well, but she squeezed DG's hand in reassurance. "Just hang on, Deej."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I know."

DG looked up to see two of the Royal Army's soldiers escorting two wounded prisoners from the castle. "Hurry up!"

With amazement, the young soldiers took in the sight before them. They obeyed the order however, moving apprehensively through the shield at the princess's urging.

One stopped, shifting his burden. "The corridor is clear, Highnesses. All of the prisoners are out."

"Good." Azkadellia called, breathily. "Now get back. This whole thing is going to blow any time."

The soldier obeyed the royal command, helping his injured charge towards the lines.

DG felt a wave exhaustion wash over her. "Come on, Cain. Where are you?"

And then, there was another hand in her's. DG looked in surprise at her mother, who now stood beside her, holding tightly to her hand with her strong, firm grip. "Just a little longer, darlings."

Her energy was restored, even if only a bit. DG noted the shocked expression on Azkadellia's face as the burst in vigor hit her as well. It wasn't just moral support their mother lent. There was magical support as well.

_It is her ability to see the good in all beings and to see their light, even if they can't see it themselves._

The old tree's words came back to DG as she smiled as she let the combined magic of her mother, her sister, and herself course through her.

* * *

Cain spat blood as Zero hooked him across the jaw. He was losing, bad. Driven by insanity, Zero was stronger than Cain had ever remembered him being. 

Cain lay on the floor and coughed. 

Zero crouched down, grinning maniacally. "Game over."

Cain couldn't move. He could barely breathe. _Get up!_

"The O.Z. is dead, just like your friends, Cain." Zero's voice raised in pitch as he tortured him. "Failed again, Cain."

_Failed again. Too weak. They are all lost._

_Wyatt Cain. _The voice was strong in his mind, drowning out every other doubtful thought. As strong and vivid as if she were standing right beside him.

_Adora?_

_Damn you, get off of the floor! _She was angry, annoyed. She floated in front of his eyes. Not the wounded vision he had seen in the corridor, but the strong determined woman he had always known. _Don't you give up now._

He was off of the floor before Zero even registered that he had moved. He bowled him over, kicking viciously at him as he grabbed the bomb. 

Moving fast, he grabbed the handle to the access door and wrenched it open, flicking the switch that would detonate the bomb. The heat of the molten Seladium core hit him as he dropped Glitch's device down the machine's gullet. 

When he turned, Zero was up again, but before he could attack, there was a groan and a shudder that threw both of the men off-balance. The chain reaction caused sparks up the cable that fed the Seladium core and powered Tempest.

Cain wasn't sticking around to watch any more. He ran past Zero who was staring at the generator with a growing sense of horror. Cain grabbed him by the collar, making him run with him. He wouldn't condemn any one to death if he could help it; not even his mortal enemy.

But Zero yelled, too taken with his mad desire to see Cain dead to care about his own well-being. He grabbed Cain around the shoulders taking them both to the floor again. _Fine._

Cain elbowed Zero in the face. The man screamed in pain as blood flowed freely from his nose. Cain slipped from beneath him, his inner voice screaming at him to move faster. _You want to see your son again, Wyatt._

Overhead, he could hear the fortress coming down around him as the Seladium core destroyed itself. There was a shriek of metal and stone above him as the rocks and dirt came falling down around him, striking him in the head and shoulders as he ran up the final passage. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And then the walls fell down around him.

* * *

DG whooped as the tower exploded above her but her mother gripped her hand tighter. "Hold on a little longer. Keep the flying debris from hitting the soldiers if you can."

"We're fine." Azkadellia called over the roar as the tower fell in on itself. It was followed by the uppermost floor of the fortress and then the next.

DG's eyes flew to the corridor. "Where's Cain?"

She felt both her mother and sister grip her a little more tightly. Azkadellia leaned over to whisper to her. "He's coming."

Her fear for her friend grew as the fortress continued to destroy itself. With every falling tier, she felt her heart constrict a little more. This couldn't be how it ended for a Tin Man. Not Wyatt Cain.

She found herself repeating Azkadellia's words. "He's coming. He'll be all right."

Raw was behind her, now, as were Ahamo and Jeb. The Viewer's voice was low and mournful as he said. "Cain not coming."

DG screamed and the magic barrier fell as the fortress fell in on itself. Ahamo's restraining arm flew around his youngest daughter and she strained against him, making herself hoarse as she screeched Cain's name.

Jeb bolted past her, disappearing into the dust that floated in the air after the bastion's destruction. She finally managed to get free of her father and turn to Raw. "Please, Raw, we've gotta find him."

The Viewer nodded and followed Jeb, DG and her parents right on his heels. 


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N:**__ This was the first chapter of this story written, believe it or not, the rest of this adventure springs from this. Weird how your muses get started, isn't it  
_

* * *

_ He was at the elm again, watching as she was dragged down the steps, forced to her knees._

_But this time, he could hear them._

"_Out of luck," Zero grinned down maliciously at her. "Where's your son?"_

_He could see that face, that beautiful, wonderful, completely nonchalant face, even as the blood dripped down it. She smiled. "Who?"_

_But Zero didn't falter. "So he's left you as well. Abandoned you, just like your husband."_

"_I thought my husband was dead." Adora replied coolly. "Make up your mind, you lying sack of dung."_

"_Oh, he's still alive. Locked away in his tin box." Zero moved closer, wanting to see her crumble as he told her the truth. "But you never got back to him, did you?"_

"_On the contrary," Adora smiled, unwavering, "I never left him."_

_And the vision faded to black as Zero reached for her throat._

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Wyatt Cain was at peace. He was warm, calm, and safe. The breeze caressed his cheek and he could hear the gentle rustle of the trees and the grass around him. The familiar scent of wildflowers filled his senses and he let his body take in the feel of the soft earth beneath him.

Slowly, he became aware of the fact that what he had thought was the wind was actually fingers and that his head was pillowed against something soft and warm. The fingers trailed along his hairline right behind his ear in a way that was painstakingly memorable. "Wyatt?"

With an effort, he opened his eyes and looked into her face from where his head lay on her thigh. 

Immediately, he was on his feet, turning to face her where she sat among the Blue Bonnets, clad in a simple yellow cotton dress. 

He reached for his gun. Adora smiled when his hand found nothing but air. "No gun. Even if you had it, you know I would have taken the bullets out of it."

He fell into the routine easily. "You know I hate it when you do that."

She sighed, in that wonderfully mock-irritated way. "Well, I don't know what you expected me to do. I was not leaving a loaded weapon around our son."

He had always felt an injustice at this. "I unloaded it. I just don't see why you insisted upon hiding the bullets."

"Did it ever occur to you," her smile turned mischievous, "that I liked hearing you cuss whenever I made you look for them? I loved hiding 'em in the flour. Watching dig around in there and get that nice crisp uniform just covered."

Any doubts he may have had vanished on the wind. "It is you, isn't it?"

"In the flesh," she replied. "So to speak."

"That's not funny, Adora."

"A sense of humor will get you through anything. Even death."

He looked down at her. "Am I dead?"

Slowly, she shook her head.

"Where are we?"

Adora didn't answer. Instead, she stood and held out a hand to him. "Walk with me?"

Apprehensively, he reached out to her. Always before, he had been so close before she had disappeared into thin air. As the inches closed between them, he held his breath waiting for the instant where she would be taken from him again.

And he felt himself nearly break when her soft hand slid so easily into his. He latched on, vowing to never let go again. She began to lead him and he followed, falling in step beside her.

He took in the surroundings as they walked along the bank of a lazy crystal blue river that rushed softly over the rocks. This was a well worn path. They had traveled it together before. "This is the Kisra River."

She smiled and pointed to their left. There sat the small, cozy cabin he remembered so well. It was the one that they had built together in what they both had considered Paradise. He had been a Tin Man in the Eastern Territories then, one of the lucky ones that was never away from home more then a few days at a time. His fellow lawmen had made fun of him for his zeal to get back to his wife. He didn't care and actually felt sorry for them, knowing that he had a rare love that they would never understand.

He stood and watched the blue smoke rolling from the chimney. "We should have stayed. If I hadn't made you leave-"

"You couldn't 'make' me do anything. If we hadn't left, the Resistance wouldn't have been able to hold out as long, young DG would have probably died in the Papay fields, our son would be dead or worse, and the entire O.Z. would have been covered in eternal darkness." Adora's tone was stern as he turned wide eyes on her. "Don't you think I haven't been watching you, Wyatt Cain."

He looked back to the cabin, trying not to smile. "I knew I must have had a guardian angel watching over me." 

She wasn't buying the cheap line. "Nice try."

"But you were there?"

"Everywhere you go." Those beautiful blue eyes found his. "We need to talk, Wyatt." She took a deep breath. "You have to stop doing this."

"What?"

"Blaming yourself." Adora shook her head at him. "Everything that's happened is not your fault."

"If I had been there-"

"If." Adora replied. "If you had been there, if I wasn't dead, if Papay had wings they could fly. If, if, if."

He had to laugh at her. "Do you know how much I miss you?"

"Everyday." Adora stepped in closer. "You are the man that taught me how to love. How often did I tell you that?"

"All the time." He remembered it, whispered so softly in the sweet cover of night when he held her close.

"I'm glad you remember." Her hands were on his chest. "I meant it. Do you know how much it hurts me to know that the person who gave me such a wonderful gift is in pain every day because of me?"

"Adora-"

"You can't tell me it's not true. I know that it is." She touched his cheek gently. "Darling, if all you can do is dwell on the end of my life, why remember me at all?"

"You want me to forget you?" He asked in disbelief.

"In a way you already have, haven't you?" There was sadness in her eyes. "When was the last time you thought about the day we met?"

It had been years, literally. The image of Zero's attack on their home had been engraved on his psyche by the continuous image loop he was forced to watch during his time in the suit. When DG and Glitch had released him, vengeance had leapt to the forefront of his mind. And after their adventure had ended . . . well, it had just been too painful.

He let the memory come now. "As I recall, you pulled a gun on me."

She laughed as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "I apologized."

"Uh-huh," he reveled in their closeness as he continued to tease her. "And what about that dance at the Spring Festival?"

"That was not my fault."

"Are you still claiming that Delores Donnell slipped into that table full of cakes?"

"I can not believe you arrested me."

"It was assault."

"I was your date!" Adora exclaimed, a breath away from hysterical laughter. "You should have known better than to take me out in public."

They were leaning against each other, laughing so hard they were about to fall over. Cain managed to get control of himself. As he stood back, he watched Adora wipe tears of mirth from her eyes. "It was always an adventure, wasn't it?"

She nodded. "You know, after Zero came, Jeb and I were constantly on the run. I tried to tell him all that I could about you, but I'm sure I missed some of our exploits. He'd probably love to hear them."

He stared at the ground. She had seen everything.

Adora put a hand on his shoulder. "He thinks that if you had the choice, you would have wanted me to live instead of him."

"He has to know that's not true." Cain fired defensively.

"Well, he's definitely your son." Adora replied tersely. "Both of you think everyone should just automatically know what you're feeling. I hate to tell you this, love, but many of the rest of us are not Viewers. You've got to talk to us."

"He has to know how much I love him." Cain insisted.

"Wyatt," Adora said slowly. "Jeb hasn't seen you since he was ten annuals old. All he knows of you is what he remembers. He has his own guilt to deal with and that makes him jump to the wrong conclusions. You need to help him through it."

"It's just . . . hard." Cain replied softly. "I don't want to hurt him."

"You hurt him more if you don't talk to him." Adora said. "He's not a child. You don't have to shelter him as much as you think you do. He had to grow up fast and he's grown well. He's a lot like his father."

"Then he's in trouble." Cain said, dryly.

Adora sputtered a laugh. "It could be worse. He could take more after me."

"True. I probably won't have to arrest him."

She didn't reply, but grinned as she took his hand again. He allowed himself to be lead once more. This path, too, was well worn. It meandered down back towards the river to a tall Weeping Willow that blew gently in the wind. This is where they had come so often to escape the heat of the summer. Sometimes, they would talk. Sometimes they wouldn't. He remembered every blissful moment spent beneath the boughs of the old Weeping Willow.

Adora pushed back the tree's tendrils and went to the trunk. Carefully, she sat down, pulling him down with her. He sat beside her and watched the water for a few minutes. "I won't stop missing you."

She reached up to play with the short hair at the nape of his neck. "I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to remember the good times, too. We sure had a lot of them. It would be a shame for all of those to be lost." 

Cain turned to her, running the backs of his fingers over the curve of her cheek. "I love you. Always will."

She returned the gesture, and moved closer. "I love you, too."

Praying that he wouldn't wake up now, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. They were warm beneath his mouth, as warm and real as every other precious touch he had ever experienced with her. With everything he had, he tried to impart the passion, love, and longing to her that he felt. This kiss was going to have to last the rest of his life. He knew that and he accepted it.

Sorrow crept up in as they moved apart. "I can't stay, can I?"

For the first time, he saw tears of regret in her eyes as she shook her head wordlessly.

"Can I stay for a while?" He asked softly.

"I'd like that." 

Gently, he put his arms around her waist and leaned against her shoulder. Adora wrapped her arms around him as he sighed. He was silent, listening to the steady beat of her heart and feeling her chest rise and fall.

Her warm lips pressed against his forehead as her delicate fingers ran along his hairline. "I am always with you, Wyatt. I promise."

Cain fell asleep to the melodic sounds of the water and the wind singing gently in the boughs of the Willow.

* * *

Waking up hurt this time. A lot. As he forced his eyes open, he focused in on the ceiling of one of Finaqua's suites. Actually, it was his suite. He'd studied that ceiling on enough sleepless nights to have memorized every nook and cranny. The moonlight was reflecting off of the lake, creating dancing, shimmering patterns against the light blue paint. At least it gave him something to look at as he tried to ignore the fact that every part of his body was crying "Uncle!"

"Mr. Cain?" The voice came from just off of his right side. Resisting the urge to groan, he turned his head. 

There sat the last person in the O.Z. he had expected to see. "Your Majesty?"

Orianah smiled. "You gave us quite a scare. Your fever only broke a few hours ago."

"How long-?"

"Two days. I'm afraid we just got you back to Finaqua this morning."

"Jeb, the princesses-"

"Everyone is fine." She smiled. "With the exception of you."

"Good," Cain hadn't realized he had tried to sit up until he fell back against the pillows. "The machine?"

"Destroyed. Along with Stribog and most of the Suket." Orianah smiled. "You were very lucky to have survived. We found you along what was left of the corridor."

"Yeah, I ducked into one of the doorways of a cell and hoped for the best."

"You were lying beneath a piece of stone propped up against the frame of that door." She touched his arm. "Raw could only heal some of your physical wounds. There were other, deeper scars that he could not mend."

That damned curse Azkadellia had mentioned, undoubtedly. But his head was clear again. The guilt and anger were gone, replaced instead with a longing, but one that he wanted to embrace.

The last vestiges of his dreams were slipping away now as was the feeling of Adora in his arms. The pain was intensifying as he felt her loss again.

"Are you all right, Mr. Cain?"

He couldn't help it. He gave her a wry look.

"I didn't mean physically."

He sighed heavily and felt his ribs protest. "Just a dream, I guess."

"Sometimes, dreams are only dreams." Orianah leaned in closer as if revealing a deep, carefully guarded secret. "Sometimes, they are the realities that we cannot see with our eyes open."

Cain smiled. This was obviously where DG got that introspective, and decidedly annoying, streak. He was grateful. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Now then," Orianah rose, "would you please inform those two over on the settee that you have no intention of passing into the Dark Abyss and they needn't watch over you all evening?"

With a final smile, the Queen turned and strode with silent grace from the room.

It took some doing, but Cain managed to turn his head towards the window. What he saw made him laugh quietly. On the small uncomfortable couch sat his son, still fully clothed, with his head pitched back snoring lightly. Tucked under his protective arm was DG, nestled up against his side with her hand resting on Jeb's stomach. Both were content and peaceful.

He smirked. Oh well. This wasn't going to be very nice, but orders were orders. And he sure wasn't getting up. With some effort, he pulled one of the pillows from behind his head. 

Swinging his arm, he let the soft projectile fly. It caught Jeb right in the face, making him jump off the couch and yell, moving from pure flight-or-fight response. The pillow had fallen down on DG who had screamed when Jeb had screamed. The confusion on their faces was comical.

"Hey," Cain said with an effort, as he tried no to laugh. "Go to bed."

"Dad?"

"Cain!"

They were both to him an in instant. Jeb looked relieved. "How are you?"

"Great, son. Let's arm wrestle."

DG smirked. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah, he will." Cain looked back and forth between the two. "When I left, I had planned for you two to stay here. How is it that I saw both of you at Stribog's castle?"

A panicked look passed between his son and the princess. Obviously, they hadn't expected to be confronted so soon. DG cleared her throat. "You know, Mr. Cain, you really do need some rest."

"Yeah, you shouldn't be talking too much." Jeb put in.

"Stress isn't good for a man in your condition."

"Not at all."

"All right." He raised a hand to stop them. He knew a conspiracy when he saw one. He looked from one to the other. Judging by the looks on their faces, there was still something up. "What else?"

"Um," DG bit her lip. "We kinda didn't want to tell you until you were feeling better."

"I'm feeling better." Cain said pointedly. "Tell me."

Jeb shrugged as if to tell DG to lay it on his father. DG sighed. "We couldn't find your hat."

"What?"

"Or your gun." Jeb put in.

"We looked, we swear!" DG held up her hands defensively.

Cain couldn't help but laugh a little. "It's okay. You're all alive. I think that's a little more important."

"We'll replace them." DG said earnestly. "I mean they were lost in service to the Crown."

Cain shook his head, still smiling. "Did you get your Light back, kid?"

It was impossible to miss the fond glance the princess gave his son. "Turns out I had it all along. Jeb and Raw helped me find it." 

Cain reached up and took his son by the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son."

"Thank you, sir."

"You and I need to talk."

Jeb nodded. "Yeah, we do."

"Tomorrow."

"Dad, I don't know if-"

"Tomorrow." Cain repeated. "What I have to say can wait until then, but it won't hold any longer than that."

"Okay," Jeb said. "Okay."

"Now, go get some sleep." Cain put his hand to his son's cheek, making sure that Jeb caught every word of what he had to say next. "I love you, son. And I thank the gods every day that I have you."

Cain hadn't meant to catch him off-guard. Jeb swallowed hard, his eyes bright. "I love you, too, Dad."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Are you all happy? I didn't kill him. There's one last chapter, folks, just to tie up these loose ends and leave us all with that warm squishy feeling inside._


	30. Chapter 30

"You and DG are both famous, Princess

"You and DG are both famous, Princess." Ambrose grinned from behind his desk. He held up a stack of letters. "Look at all of this. Everyone is inviting you to visit: Winkians, the Lord of Quaddling Country. Here's one from the Eastern Guilds." He held that one between his thumb and forefinger as though it were diseased.

Azkadellia smiled at him. "That's quite a change. I thought they hated me."

"Saving the world is going to get you extra credit points in most people's books." He stood and came around the desk. "A lot of people saw what you and DG did up there. It's kind of hard to call you evil when you go and do something heroic and noble like that."

"Word travels fast, huh?" Azkadellia replied.

"It should. From what I heard, it was pretty incredible." He touched the back of his head gingerly. "Just wish I'd been there to see it. Oh, hey, before I forget. This came in today's mail."

He handed her a letter. She broke the seal of the envelope and slid the paper from within. It was brief and she was able to read it quickly. "It's from Jason, thanking me for saving his son."

Ambrose smiled. "Even the man that threatened to kill you is thanking you."

"He should be thanking you and Mr. Cain." Azkadellia slid the paper back in its envelope. "I'll have to remember to show it to him."

A tense silence hung between them as they ran out of conversation. It happened often these days. Azkadellia was never sure what to say to the man. Before this whole mess, he was unwilling to sit in the same room with her. Now, he seemed to seek her company and she didn't mind in the least. She found that she cared very deeply for him.

There was just something that hung between them. But she was afraid that if she confessed about why Ambrose's brain was truly taken from him, they would be back at square one.

But she didn't have a lot of choice. "Ambrose, there's something I need to tell you."

There was no smart come back, no goofy smile. He just leaned back on the desk and looked at her expectantly.

_Here goes nothing. _"It was at my suggestion that the Witch took your brain."

He blinked at her in surprise a few times, but didn't respond.

Her stomach flipped when he remained silent and she found herself babbling. "I'm so sorry! It was all I could think to do. . ."

"Your Highness. . . "

"She was going to kill you. I couldn't let her. . ."

"Princess. . . "

"Please, understand. Oh, please forgive me."

"Az!" His use of her nickname stopped her cold. He studied her with an unreadable expression for a second before smiling. "It's okay. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it did." She looked at him, feeling worried.

"Did you think I wouldn't understand?" He looked at her, cocking his head slightly. "What did you think?"

"I just . . . didn't want to go back to the way we were before, Ambrose." She confessed. "I think I rather enjoy your company and if you couldn't stand to be in the same room with me. . ."

He surprised her when he stood up and drew her into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry for the way I acted before. I didn't understand what you had been through."

"And you do now?"

"I have a better idea." Ambrose pulled away. "Enough to know that you re a stronger person than I ever gave you credit for."

"Thank you."

"I have a confession to make, Your Highness." He said softly. His arms were still around her waist.

"And what is it?" she asked smiling.

"I rather enjoy your company, too."

* * *

Wyatt Cain was laughing so hard the cane fishing pole he held in his hands shook. "You aren't serious."

"I kid you not." Jeb replied, chuckling himself. "It was the proudest moment of my life as the son of Adora Cain."

"Where'd she pull the guns from?"

"I don't know." Jeb said with a look that told Cain his son didn't really want to know, either. "But I'm sure the Long Coats were wondering the same thing."

"Your mother always was creative."

Jeb shook his head. "She did it out of spite, ambushing those Long Coats. It was a few days after Zero had a group of us pinned down in the Southern Woods. That's when he told us you had died in the suit."

Cain sobered a bit. "I can't imagine what that did to her."

"She was probably screaming on the inside." Jeb said solemnly before he grinned again. "But in the heat of the moment, she stood up, fired off a shot at him, and told him, and this is a direct quote, that his 'sorry, lily-livered carcass' was her's."

Cain smiled. "She said that?"

"There was more, but it would make me blush to repeat it."

A thought occurred to Cain. "When Zero caught up with us at the Northern Castle, he said that you and your mother were begging for me to be set free."

"He's lucky she didn't hear that." Jeb's grin turned wolfish. "He and Mom had a couple of face-to-face encounters over the years. She didn't beg. She threatened to cut off vital pieces of his anatomy if he didn't turn you loose."

"That sounds like your mother."

They fell silent for a few minutes, taking in the beauty of Finaqua. It had been a week since they had all returned. Cain was feeling stronger everyday, but refused to push it. The Queen had given Jeb a furlough despite what she called 'an understandable lack of judgment' and Cain intended to spend as much time as he could getting to know his son again.

"I liked DG's idea."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Cain smirked at his son's reproachful look. He had seen those quiet, secretive little glances his son had exchanged with a certain princess. He decided not to press the matter "Which idea? The Resistance Memorial or the medal ceremony for her damned horse?"

"The Resistance Memorial." Jeb jiggled the pole in his hands. "A lot of good people died fighting the Witch. We should remember that."

"I agree." Cain looked down. "I'm just not sure how your mother would feel about all the fuss."

The design DG had come up with after consulting Glitch was a large round building that featured the names of all the Resistance Leaders on individual big brass plaques. This included Adora Cain's name. DG's heart was in the right place, but Cain knew Adora wouldn't have thought herself any more important than anyone else who had fought the Witch.

"She deserves some recognition, Dad."

"I know, son. I just don't think she'd like it."

"Well," Jeb replied, looking distractedly to the trees. "I don't remember the threat of her making a fuss ever stopping you before. Remember that necklace you bought for her?"

How could he forget? It had been gold, the pendant inlaid with exquisite Gillikin sapphires. He had saved a little from every paycheck to get it for her. She had pitched a monumental fit when he had presented it to her on their anniversary, saying it was too much and she didn't need a whole bunch of baubles to be happy.

"You just let her rant and rave." Jeb said.

"You remember that?"

"I was scared out of my little mind. But you just sat back and watched the show." He looked at Cain. "And you know she wore that necklace everyday? Never took it off."

Cain sighed. "I suppose we can risk it."

"She'll probably start haunting us or something."

The dry wit was redolent of his mother. Cain let Jeb see that he wasn't upset by the comment. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Jeb smiled and looked towards the gazebo where Orianah and DG had been for the last hour or so. The Queen was seated on the swing, her long, lavender dress stirring lightly as she swung gently. Her daughter sat before her on the floor, the skirt of her dark blue dress pooling around her as she sketched determinedly on the pad of paper she had brought out with her.

"We should probably head back." Cain said.

"Uh-huh," was the only response he got from his son. Jeb was watching DG dazedly.

Cain snickered inwardly. "Jeb, I'm going to ask the Queen to reassign you. I thought perhaps you might like a change of scenery. How do the Eastern Guilds sound?"

"Fine, Dad. Fine."

'You know you'll have to wear the feathers and the body paint."

"That's nice."

Cain was laughing again, which snapped Jeb from his trance. He gave his father an irritated look. "What's so funny?"

His son had it bad, he just didn't really know it yet. That would remain Cain's little secret for the time being. There was good fodder for teasing and jokes at his son's expense on down the road.

"Are you finished drowning worms?"

"What worms? We haven't baited the hooks in over two hours." Jeb drew in his line. "I guess it is almost time for the meeting. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I think so." The princesses were off for a tour of the Eastern Territories the following week. This time, however, there was no feeling of impending doom. According to Glitch, the tide of public approval was turning in Azkadellia's favor. Cain was still going to have to be on his toes, but his job as Head of Security was going to be at least a little easier when it came to the older princess. "Besides, I've got new recruits coming up for academy testing, too. I can't lie around forever. Too much to do."

"What about that lady you met in Rigmar?"

"Yup, she's testing. It should be a breeze for her, though." Connalee LaRue had taken up his offer of trying for the Tin Man Academy after relocating her father back to Central City. The Queen had been delighted to see Dr. LaRue alive.

"What do you call a lady Tin Man?" Jeb wondered absently.

"A Tin Man." Cain replied without missing a beat. "They earn the title just like everyone else."

His son smiled and fell in step beside him. Cain asked. "When are you headed back to your battalion?"

"I guess when you leave with DG and Azkadellia." Jeb replied. "Queen Orianah said I could take all the time I need, but if you're going back to work, I guess it's about time I did, too."

Cain smiled. "Just don't be a stranger, son."

* * *

"Come on, Mother." DG said leaning in closer to her sketch so the woman wouldn't see her smile. "Let the Light flow through you."

It was a 'Mom' thing. DG knew she was being glared at before she even looked up. "You think you are quite funny, don't you?"

"Would you like me to go get Tutor?" DG's smile turned wolfish as she looked up. "He knows how to crack the whip."

"Where did you learn such insolent speech, anyway?" Orianah said, though the wide grin softened the words.

After she had felt her mother's magic at the Suketian fortress, DG had been convinced that it was not lost forever as they had all once thought. It had taken some persuasion, but DG had managed to get her to agree to give it a try.

Orianah cocked her head, contemplating DG's spinning doll that stood on her palm. "I remember when this was easy."

"It'll be easy again." DG said hopefully. "You'll see."

With a deep sigh, Orianah closed her eyes.

After a few seconds, DG grinned when the doll floated from her mother's palm and slowly began to rotate in the air.

"Very nice, Your Majesty."

Jeb's voice startled her and the doll dropped. DG managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

He looked sheepish as he and his father walked up the stairs to the gazebo. "Sorry."

"It's all right, Commander." Orianah stood.

"Yeah, she needs to start learning to concentrate with distractions, too." DG put in, unfolding herself and rising as well.

The queen turned to her and said smugly. "So do you, my dear."

DG snorted. Azkadellia and her big mouth.

Cain motioned to her sketch pad. "What have you been working on, kiddo?"

"Oh!" Quickly, she flipped it around for the Cain's to see. It was a sketch of the two of them sitting on the shores of Finaqua. "Well?"

A soft smile came to Cain's face. "That's pretty good."

"Wow, DG." Jeb replied in awe.

She felt a light blush creep into her cheeks at his praise.

Orianah smiled at DG before turning to Cain. "I suppose we should discuss next week's excursion, anyway."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

DG was excited about their trip to the Eastern Territories. Jeb had told her all about it during one of their long talks while his father recovered. It was kind of like the Old West that she was familiar with, hard but beautiful.

She smiled shyly at Jeb who winked back. But it was to her friend that she spoke next. "Are you going to be staying in the Eastern Territories, Mr. Cain?"

He bowed his head, hiding his face from view beneath the brim of his new hat as his hand rested on the pearl-handled revolver Jeb had given him. "You want to know if I'm still leaving."

"I was kind of wondering."

His face was still unreadable as he looked back at her. He shrugged. "I don't know. Long hours. Bedrolls on hard ground. Bouncing around in a saddle all day . . ."

"You're not answering my question." DG crossed her arms. "You love all of that stuff."

There was a smile now. "Well, Jeb is stationed in Central City. And the food is pretty good around here."

DG was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Thank you, Mr. Cain. You have no idea how much we were all going to miss you."

"I would have missed all of you, too." DG felt her heat warm as he glanced at his son. He sighed suddenly, his voice becoming harder, but edged with a teasing tone. "Must be losing my mind. The whole lot of you is nothing but trouble."

"Does that include me, Mr. Cain?" Orianah asked as DG and Jeb began to laugh.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but absolutely it does." Cain replied, straight-faced before turning on his heel and heading down the steps.

DG found herself leaning against Jeb, but he wasn't much support. He was laughing just as hard as she was as he called after his father. "At least it will never be boring, Dad."

"Come on, you two." Orianah scolded as she herded them off of the gazebo.

Together, they walked towards Finaqua. Cain and Orianah talked about the trip and DG found herself following her mother beside Jeb Cain.

He was hanging his head. "I'm going to have to head back to Central City soon."

"I know." That wasn't a surprise. The Royal Army still needed every good man. There were still Long Coats on the loose and restoration efforts to be finished. "You'll write to me though, right?"

"Everyday." Their parents disappeared into the castle. Jeb pulled her to a stop. "You'll write back?"

"For a while." She smiled as she saw the shock register on his face. "Of course, in a few weeks, my family will be back in Central City. So then you better just stop by."

He grinned at her as he moved closer. "You'll be sick of me."

"I doubt it." His lips were so close to hers.

"Hey!" The pair looked up to see Jeb's father standing in the doorway. He was trying to look agitated, but didn't seem to have the heart to pull it off well. In fact, he rather seemed to be enjoying himself. "Come on, lovebirds. I haven't got all day."

Shaking his head, Jeb took DG's hand and walked with her towards the castle. As she walked through the halls between the Cain men, she felt happiness well up inside her. Cain gave her a sideways look and a smirk as they walked. She just grinned right back at him.

They entered the room where all of the people she loved had gathered. Glitch and Azkadellia were on the couch talking to Raw. Her mother and father were laughing with Tutor near the windows. Just in their presence, she felt her Light warm her and glow just a little bit more brightly.

It was a good day in the O.Z.. Her friends were with her. Cain was healthy again. Glitch and Raw were near. Her family was safe and so was their kingdom. Jeb was beside her. There was whole, beautiful, wondrous land out there to be explored.

Jeb was right. It wasn't going to be boring.

The End

* * *

_**A/N:**__ And so ends one warped adventure. . ._

_Thank you to all of you that took the time to review. I can't tell you how much your kind words meant to me. I hope you all enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Every comment was read and appreciated, believe me! I laughed out loud at more than a few. This is the first major fic that I've finished in a long time and you guys all kept me going with your wonderful feedback._

_May DG, Glitch, Raw, and our beloved Tin Man have many more adventures!_

_Tamesis_


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